A team set up by the
reconstruction commissioner of the collapsed Morandi bridge in
Genoa is examining projects by a number of top architects
including Renzo Piano and Santiago Calatrava.
The team is hard at work at the municipality's Matitone
building, although its work was briefly interrupted on Tuesday
by a false fire alarm.
The seven-member team includes university professors,
engineers, architects, professionals and one top city officials.
All members are independent from the companies competing to
participate in reconstruction work and are providing their
expertise for free, officials said.
The projects being screened by the group are "more than 10,
less than 20", said Genoa mayor and reconstruction commissioner,
Marco Bucci.
"I haven't seen them yet and I will not see them until the
team will present a detailed report, based on which we will
choose".
Time is running short, he said.
"The week of December 3 will be for negotiations" with
perspective constructors, continued Bucci.
"Obviously, we start with a project but it does not
necessarily mean that we end up with that, it's possible that we
then move on to another - that's what negotiations are about".
The objective is to start working on the new bridge in
mid-December, the mayor noted.
It is possible that top contenders will include
world-renowned architects.
The plan proposed by the group Salini Impregilo Fincantieri
is inspired by the project of Genoa native and star architect
Renzo Piano while the Cimolai group has reportedly involved
Spain's Santiago Calatrava for its proposed project.
The report appears to be confirmed by the fact that Cimolai's
model for the project was sent from Zurich, where Calatrava is
based.
Consumers' group Codacons has also presented a project which
provides for the use of parts of the viaduct that are still
standing after its collapse on August 14, a disaster that
claimed 43 lives.
The association would like to rebuilt only the 200-meter-long
part of the bridge that collapsed.
Codacons said it would be "a new bridge dedicated to the
victims of the tragedy that could be built quickly, with less
economic resources fromthe State and fewer technical
difficulties than the total demolition".
Meanwhile the CEO of Autostrade Giovanni Castellucci was
supposed to be questioned by prosecutors Massimo Terrile and
Walter Cotugno on Wednesday as part of the probe into the
collapse.
However the manager declined to answer to the magistrates'
questions and instead made a statement during an hour-long
meeting, judicial sources said.
Castellucci is among 21 people who are under investigation in
relation to the collapse of the Morandi bridge.
Several transport ministry officials are also being probed.
The probe is into alleged multiple culpable homicide,
culpable disaster, culpable road homicide and attack against
security transport, among other charges.
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