Advisor wants locals involved in Central Library design

Urban Planning Committee member Chan Choi I has urged the Macau government to allow locals to participate in the design of the new Central Library, according to a report by public broadcaster TDM.
Chan endorsed the government’s decision to build the future Central Library on the land plot of the Hotel Estoril. She believed the project would be cheaper, more feasible, functional and flexible.
However, Choi disagreed with the fact that the local government had invited four companies, none of which were local companies, to participate in the design process.
Choi said that local teams should have been given the chance to participate in the project in order to learn from others’ international experience and to ensure that the library would be suitable for the use of locals.
Like Choi, the local architecture industry is also dissatisfied with the exclusion of Macau designers from the new Central Library project.
Last week, lawmaker Au Kam San urged the government not to force foreign design contractors to hire local architects, which he says could impact the quality of the new Central Library project. JZ