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Valencia City of Arts and Science : Calatrava Building

Contemporary Valencia Architecture Development design by Santiago Calatrava Architect in Spain

7 Jan 2014

Valencia sues opera house architect

Santiago Calatrava is facing legal action from his native city as the dazzling City of Arts and Sciences complex begins to fall apart just eight years after inauguration, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Photographs © Paul Zanre

Valencia City of Arts and Science Building by Calatrava

The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, inaugurated eight years ago, is already falling apart and regional authorities have said they will sue the architect responsible.

In late December chunks of the mosaic façade of the centerpiece opera house fell off in high winds and authorities were forced cancel scheduled Christmas performances and to close the building to the public until further notice.

Authorities are laying the blame of the rapid deterioration of buildings within the complex at the foot of Santiago Calatrava, who was paid close to 100 million euros for a project that came in at four times over budget with a final price tag of over 1 billion euros.

Maximo Buch, the regional government spokesman responsible for Arts and Culture announced that Valencia would pursue legal action against Santiago Calatrava and his architectural firm for the cost of repairs blaming “construction defects”.

Also, according to world-architects.com, Santiago Calatrava paid 3.3 million Euros to Oviedo, Spain, to settle a dispute after a structural collapse; he is being sued over persistent leaks in a winery in Avala, also in Spain; and in Bilbao, a pedestrian bridge he designed has been the source of numerous injuries and compensation paid by the city.