The leader of the Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Tenerife, Pedro Martín, has called upon the president of the insular Corporation, the nationalist Rosa Dávila, to “safeguard the interests of Tenerife and “demand that Santiago Calatrava finally accept his responsibility.” This follows the extensive damage suffered by the Santa Cruz Auditorium, which is expected to cost several million euros to rectify due to hidden defects in the structure.
Martín has expressed his discontent with the Cabildo providing “a year of grace” to Calatrava, one of the foremost and contentious personalities in international architecture, “in the hope that he would acknowledge that he will not oversee the rehabilitation and will not take on the responsibility for the repair costs” of the cladding of the property, which remains the iconic silhouette of the Tenerife capital. “What benefit does the public interest of Tenerife derive from this agreement?” Martín questioned.
The head of the Tenerife socialists highlighted the action taken by Rosa Dávila’s Government to progress the restoration of the Adán Martín Auditorium. The Cabildo has finally obtained the project from Santiago Calatrava, who designed what is regarded as the most distinctive building in the Canary Islands. The project will involve addressing the cracks and bulges identified a few years following the building’s inauguration 22 years ago within the covering, particularly in the so-called trencadís, a decorative surface formed from ceramic fragments typical of the Valencian architect.
In a prolonged process that has culminated in a legal battle, the Cabildo insists that Calatrava, alongside the surveyors and the construction firms involved in the Auditorium’s construction – Acciona, Dragados, and Punta Larga – cover the costs for the rehabilitation, initially estimated at 18 million euros, which will now need to be adjusted according to the architect’s proposal.
Concerning the supervision of the works, and after Calatrava declined to lead it, the insular Corporation has opted to proceed with the subsidiary execution of this phase without further delay, inviting bids from specialist companies. The expenses related to the construction management will be transferred to the architect, pending the outcome of the legal proceedings currently underway.
In this context, the Tenerife PSOE noted in a statement that “after years of stagnation, in May 2022, the government group led by Martín reached an agreement in the Government Council to require the Valencian architect to produce the repair project and manage its costs. A deadline of 19 months was set for him to submit the documentation, which “should have been available to the Tenerife Cabildo by January of last year.” “However, and without a valid reason to justify such a decision,” according to the PSOE statement, “the government group (CC and PP) chose in November 2023 to give Santiago Calatrava additional time to complete the repair project.” This decision was subsequently appealed by Calatrava in court, a challenge he ultimately lost.
“Furthermore, as acknowledged by the Council, it will be public funds that are allocated to cover the costs for the compulsory oversight and the works on a subsidiary basis, which presents yet another barrier, and at some stage, it will fall to the private sector to finance these undertakings, in addition to the project being submitted late, a situation the corporation attributes to the damages experienced in Valencia,” explains the PSOE in the statement, adding: “Although Calatrava is from Valencia, his architectural offices are based in Zurich, New York and Dubai.”
The socialists also emphasise that “the most recent cost estimate for the repairs was conducted in 2022, captured in a technical report from May, which indicated that the direct and indirect expenses for the repairs would total 24 million euros.” In reality, this amounts to 18 million plus an additional 5 million for the repercussions of potentially having to close the Auditorium during the renovations. However, the Government of Rosa Dávila intends to recalculate the costs so that the rehabilitation can proceed without necessitating the closure of the facility.
Pedro Martín insists that Rosa Dávila “must put an end to allowing the architect to mock the people of Tenerife broadly and demand that he takes on his responsibilities for a key project for the Island, which has incurred considerable financial costs and which, nevertheless, “is suffering unjustified damage for which, fundamentally, the Cabildo of Tenerife will bear the costs, not those culpable.”
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