Barozzi Veiga agreed with the compensation of 46,759 euros for the preliminary studies and 11,318 for the contract's suspension for more than eight months. Additionally, the architecture firm must return a 9,727-euro guarantee.
Barozzi Veiga submitted a letter to the urban planning department accepting this compensation, which totals 58,078 euros. The city council's legal department approved the procedure on 9 April. On 27 May, however, the municipal auditor issued an unfavourable report with objections to the expenses.
This issue has now been resolved following a new analysis by the urban planning department's technicians and with the approval of Mayor Francisco de la Torre.
That report of objections focused on two issues. First, the existence of work dated before the formalisation of the contract (29 August 2024). Second, the calculation for the payment of the firm's fees, which according to the audit's office should have been 11,673.08 euros (six per cent of the contract award price), not the 46,759.90 euros the planning department had estimated.
Finally, both objections were addressed with a report from the architecture and infrastructure department, which argued that the existence of work dated from May 2023 was "a mere error that does not reflect the actual date the work was carried out and it should be considered that said work was delivered on 30 July 2025".
Furthermore, the calculated financial compensation is justified on the grounds that "there are two amounts to be determined: on the one hand, the price of the work performed, and on the other, the compensation (...) given that the termination is not attributable to the contractor".
The urban planning department does acknowledge that the calculation of the six per cent compensation was incorrect because IVA tax should not be included. For this reason, it has reduced it to 9,354 euros from the initially calculated 11,318 euros. In any case, the total compensation remains similar: 56,114 euros compared to the 58,078 initially estimated.
Following this report, the mayor signed a resolution declaring the lifting of the objection and ordering the continuation of the file to resolve the contract.
Following the completion of this administrative process, the Astoria site is now free of the architectural contract that prevented its transfer to Fundación Unicaja. The foundation intends to acquire this land through a 75-year concession to construct a unique building that would house its headquarters as well as cultural activities related to the visual arts, literature, theatre and live music.
An avant-garde project
Fundación Unicaja intends to select through a competition an internationally renowned architecture firm to develop "a cutting-edge project, integrated into the environment".
The building could require an investment of around 30 million euros. It will have a ground floor plus three floors and an attic.
It will include a modular auditorium for up to 500 people, with a surface area of 1,800 square metres. Additionally, the plan includes 350 square metres for the headquarters of Fundación Bancaria Unicaja; 700 square metres for the cultural activities department; and two exhibition spaces of 500 square metres each.
In addition, plans include an exhibition space on the terrace, a café on the rooftop and two multipurpose spaces for workshops, among other uses. In the basement, an immersive exhibition space will present the archaeological remains. There will also be a conference hall for up to 100 people.
In February this year, the city council approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Unicaja foundation with the aim of "implementing a decisive public policy in favour of culture as a driver of progress and economic and social development".
This is one of the two conditions that Mayor De la Torre set for the transfer of the Astoria site to the foundation: that it increase its support for the city's cultural life.
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