The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) said Wednesday it aims for its new central library project in Nam Van to be completed in 2022.
Ophelia Tang Mei Lin, who heads the bureau’s Public Library Management Department, made the remarks while speaking to reporters yesterday on the sidelines of a session to announce the quotations proposed in the nine submitted bids for the detailed design of the government’s long-delayed new central project.
The bureau unsealed bids submitted by nine architecture firms for the drafting of a construction plan for the central library project on Tuesday.
The bureau said at that time that as the submitted bids contain a considerable number of documents, it could only announce the bids’ relevant information, such as quotations, the next day (yesterday).
According to the announcement during the session at the bureau, among the nine bids submitted, eight were accepted, while the bureau accepted the remaining one conditionally – the company will have to submit some documents that it failed to submit.
According to Wednesday’s announcement, the quotations proposed by the nine bidders range between 9.8 million and 43 million patacas.
The bureau launched a public tender for the project on March 7. Local licensed architects or architecture firms were entitled to submit a bid. According to an announcement published by the bureau at that time, the winning bidder is required to finish the task in 320 days.
Speaking to reporters , Tang said she expected her bureau to announce the winning bidder this year. She also said that her bureau aimed for the drafting of the project’s construction plan to be completed next year or in 2020.
The government has been planning for over a decade to turn the Old Courthouse in Nam Van into the city’s new central library. The government has said that the project will keep the façade and major internal parts of the Old Courthouse intact. The project also includes the former headquarters of the Judiciary Police (PJ) behind the Old Courthouse in Rua Central.
The Old Courthouse is officially listed as a building of architectural interest.
The Old Courthouse, built in 1951, has been vacant for over a decade. It is occasionally used for exhibitions and other events.
The bureau has previously said that it is planning to spend about 900 million patacas on the construction of the new central library.
The bureau has also said that it expects the construction to get off the ground next year.
The nine companies submitted their bids on Monday – the deadline.
Currently, the Central Library is located in Praçao do Tap Seac.
