The Mayor and Executive Board of Eindhoven (college van B&W) admit that communication about the light artwork went wrong during the last renovation of the City Hall. However, they do not place the responsibility with themselves, but with the architect they have hired.
The college van B&W has announced this in response to questions from the GroenLinks council.
Light artwork demolished
Architect Bert Staal and artist Matty Christensen were involved in the renovation of the Town Hall in 2002. They were not happy about the decisions made during the last renovation of the interior of the Town Hall. During this renovation, the light artwork that hung above the council chamber was demolished. Some parts were sold as scrap iron. The original price of the work was about 300,000 euros. In response to the anger of the architect and artist, GroenLinks, together with independent councillor Mary-Ann Schreurs, asked questions for advice.
According to the college, discussions have been held with Arie van Rangelrooi of ENEN architects in 2015 and 2016. They were responsible for the renovation in 2000. During these discussions, the Board explained the arrival of new architects within the SVGG contract. “In the discussions about the recent renovation of the City Hall, ENEN is involved in every design phase,” says the Board. “They spoke with our current architects Rudy Uytenhaak and Saskia Oranje.”
According to the commission, several conversations have also been held with Bert Staal and Matty Christensen. “These talks have been conducted in various configurations and have not previously led to escalation.” But the architect has not mentioned the new design of the council chamber. “Our architect failed to share the new design beforehand about this. He has also apologised several times for this,” said the commission.
According to the Commission, the removal of the steel nets and lighting was technically necessary. The removal of the steel nets also makes the escape route more accessible on site.
Source: Studio040
