Commencement of Works for the Rehabilitation of Cultural Buildings

The contracts for the services of developing the Documentation for Approval of Works Interventions for the consolidation and rehabilitation of the "Ion. I.C. Brătianu" Foundations in Bucharest and the National Theater "Marin Sorescu" in Craiova have been signed, announced the Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan. The investments are funded through the Framework Agreement between Romania and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) aimed at the rehabilitation of the built heritage and modernization of cultural buildings in Romania. The contract value for the consolidation and restoration of the "Ion. I.C. Brătianu" Foundations in Bucharest is 184,000 euros (excluding VAT), and the contractor is obliged to develop the Documentation for Approval of Intervention Works (DALI) within a maximum of 90 days from the date of issuing the order to start the design. Built between 1910 and 1912, the ensemble of "Ion. I.C. Brătianu" Foundations in Bucharest is inspired by old Romanian architecture, with oriental, Byzantine, and Renaissance elements. The building is in the public domain of the state, administered by the National Library of Romania, and has the status of a historical monument. Technical expertise has revealed that the structural integrity is on the verge of partial or total collapse over time due to a lack of minimal maintenance, exposure to the elements, mechanical damage, and the appearance of many deep degradations.

The contract for the services of developing DALI for the consolidation and rehabilitation of the National Theater "Marin Sorescu" in Craiova is worth 234,000 euros (excluding VAT), and the contractor is obliged to develop the documentation within a maximum of 120 days from the date of issuing the order to start the design. The theater building in Craiova was constructed between 1970 and 1974, with a structural system lacking seismic protection. Currently, the building requires consolidation work, thermal rehabilitation, replacement of functional and performance installations, interior modifications, replacement of exterior carpentry, and increased energy efficiency. Through the Framework Agreement between Romania and CEB, funding is also provided for the design and execution of works for the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest, the National Theater and Romanian Opera in Cluj-Napoca, Villa "Florica" in Ştefăneşti, the "Vârnav Liteanu" Mansion in Liteni, the National Museum of the Anti-Communist Revolution of December 1989 in Timişoara, and a new concert hall for the Romanian National Opera in Iaşi. The total net cost of these investments is 270 million euros, of which 216 million euros (80% of the cost) comes from the CEB loan, and 54 million euros (20% of the cost) from the state budget.