The leader of the Socialist group in the Tenerife Cabildo, Pedro Martín, has insisted that architect Santiago Calatrava bear the expenses of restoring this facility, which exceed 24 million euros.
In a statement, Pedro Martín has urged the president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, to demand that Santiago Calatrava accept accountability “for the considerable damage inflicted upon the Auditorium, which will total several million euros and stems from hidden flaws in the structure.”
“The Cabildo granted Mr. Calatrava a year’s reprieve, but he has now stated that he will not oversee the management of the repair work and will not cover the expense amounting to over 24 million euros,” Martín laments.
The PSOE leader highlights that the construction cost 74 million euros, when it was originally estimated at 26.7 million, and was delivered with “notable damage due to flaws in its design and construction”, all occurring “under the rule of the Canary Coalition in the Cabildo de Tenerife.”
In May 2022, the government group chaired by Martín resolved to require the architect to create the repair project, in addition to taking on its costs, giving a timeframe of 19 months, extending until January 2024.
“However, without any valid justification for such a choice, the government group (CC and PP, supported externally by Vox) decided in November 2023 to grant Santiago Calatrava an additional period to prepare the repair project,” a decision which Calatrava appealed and subsequently lost, according to the PSOE’s denunciation.
Currently, the Cabildo will undertake the expenses of the project management and construction subsidiarily, “which represents another hurdle preventing the private party from funding these works at any point,” alongside the fact that the project has been delivered tardily, according to Pedro Martín.
The socialist leader reproaches Rosa Dávila for permitting Calatrava to “mock” the people of Tenerife and calls on the architect to take responsibility for the “inexplicable damage” his work has caused.
