The renovations will make it possible to shelter 700 peoplethat is, it will double its current capacity.
“The MNBA was built under a competition, it is the only headquarters in the interior of the country, and the most important thing is that architects from all over the country will participate in the expansion of the auditorium for one of the most important cities in Argentina,” said the secretary. Chief of Staff, Maria Pasqualini.
“It is not just expanding capacity, it is expanding operation. Today we cannot bring a play, it does not have dressing rooms, we cannot bring an orchestra,” he explained. He then recalled that when the building was designed by the famous architect Mario Roberto Álvarez and his team, which earned him the first prize at the National Architecture Biennial, “our city did not have 370 thousand inhabitants nor did it have this marked tourist cultural profile that has today.”
Countdown
The official indicated that “before the end of the year, the city of Neuquén will be able to find out what the project is that construction will begin next year”. Regarding the financing, he specified that it will be carried out with the municipal’s own funds although he noted that as “the Municipality has its accounts in order, it is fully capable of being able to link with the CAF or the IDB for a loan.”
For its part, Juan HurtadoSecretary of Government and Coordination, said “that for the architects of Neuquén, participating in the expansion of this work that belongs to Mario Roberto Álvarez implies a big challenge”.
“We seek to give more life to the MNBA and continue opening the doors for culture and for more content to be generated,” he said.
About the initiative, Paula Polichpresident of the College of Architects, said that it is “the opening of an open public competition for all architectural professionals in the country who want to participate in the refunctionalization of the Central Park.”
The jury in charge of evaluating the proposals will be anonymous, except for the only one proposed by the participants.
Those who participate, he indicated, “must present a project on the refunctionalization of this sector so that it becomes an open-air art gallery that links the MNBA with the rest of the art rooms that we already have. “We must change the lighting path and carry out the expansion of the auditorium.”
National Museum of Fine Arts of Neuquén (MNBA)
To participate in the contest, Polich assured that the only requirement is to be an architect registered in the country. “There is no armed project,” he clarified and added that “the College of Architects of Neuquén will make the bases and conditions so that all the studios in Argentina that want to participate present their project anonymously and that a jury will be the one who determines what the project is. more convenient for our city.”
Architectural debate
For its part, Lucia BeveriniUndersecretary of Employment, said that “it is important to hold this competition because it democratizes ideas and architectural debate.”
“We understand that the Park is important and its modification should be within this cultural project that will convert the auditorium into a convention center,” he predicted.
Diego Lopez de Murillas, from the College of Architects, stated that “this means that many teams of professionals work on an idea, that there are many heads thinking the same thing and a suitable jury chooses from a lot of works.” In this sense, he emphasized the transparent nature and equality in participation, and assured that “it is a tool that any young person can access, and this is a very healthy mechanism in society.”
The director of the MNBA, Natalia Michelini, later expressed that “making the decision to expand this space at this time in the country is a reason to celebrate,” after pointing out that this year the MNBA is celebrating its 20 years.
