In the renovated gym: the opportunity to organize more events and close the doors to the professionals / News

The reconstruction of the Kaunas sports hall, which began in June 2019, is nearing completion. The exterior of the legendary Lithuanian sports building is practically finished and the interior is seething.

Fixed and telescopic chairs have been installed here, six new spaces have been installed on the second floor of the arena, and the construction of various communications is being completed.

It is planned that if the pandemic does not stop, the sports hall will open its doors to the public already at the beginning of the summer.

Sports lovers who know the sports hall well will find the exterior of the building, restored in accordance with all the requirements of heritage conservationists, an important detail of which is the metal constructions. They were not only preserved, but also stood out on the outside.

To make this visible to everyone, the designers had to turn their heads on how to properly insulate the walls – a special cork material was used.

“The sports hall was restored as it was built between the wars,” Kaunas deputy mayor Mantas Jurgutis told the website BasketNews.lt. – In Soviet times it had repair work, it is natural that there is an impact on heritage. Rebuilt windows, restored unique metal constructions.

It is completely insulated according to the latest construction and material technologies. He preserved the entire wooden frame, beams, partitions, etc. The current sports hall was built under construction, that’s the real picture. “

Video report of the gym:

If the sports hall will have familiar clothing on the outside, it will have fundamentally changed on the inside. Stairs to the second floor appeared at the corners of the corridor and new spaces were made available for smaller groups.

The modified arrangement of the stands will allow the room to be divided into several sections: special curtains will divide the main space into two or four smaller spaces.

After reconstruction, the sports hall will become a true multifunctional center, where several events can be held at the same time, from sports to cultural or seminars.

“The gym will find people with a lot more technical and communication facilities,” Jurgutis said. – The main space where “Žalgiris” played can be divided into four spaces. If necessary, there will be two, three, or four one-space spaces.

Telescopic grandstands are also appearing, with a total of 2,500 seats in the sports hall. Some of the chairs on the second floor will be stationary, and on the first floor – telescopic, adjustable as needed. The sports hall will have many more functions: we can use it with different floors and different designs. Old or disused premises were demolished and converted into larger corridors. The sports hall meets modern standards. “

9.5 million were invested in the reactivation of the sports hall. 7.9 million euros. it is the support of the European Union. The EU has also established strict rules for the use of the new building.

Five years after the end of reconstruction, the sports hall will be severely restricted to commercial events, which will only be able to host 24 percent of all events. Professional sports teams will not be able to compete here at all, with the exception of friendly tournaments, which are not included in the official competition calendars.

“It is normal for the EU to establish strict requirements for the next five years. The main thing is that most of the activities of this facility will have to be of a non-commercial nature and non-professional sports competitions will have to be held. Concerts, exhibitions, conferences, extracurricular activities for children will be able to take place here, – said the deputy mayor of Kaunas. – Will Žalgiris be able to play here? “Žalgiris” will always be welcome here, but he will not be able to play the official matches that are included in the league schedule due to European requirements But this is not a problem, because we have the “Žalgiris” arena.

It is expected that next year, when Kaunas becomes the European Capital of Culture, part of the events dedicated to this event will take place here.

In the near future, the municipality of Kaunas will announce a competition for the management of the sports hall. The legendary facility will be managed in conjunction with the nearby reconstructed soccer stadium. Construction on this is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.