Santiago Calatrava has won a victory over Esquerra Unida, a Spanish left-wing political party, in court, as a judge has ordered the party's Valencia branch to pay €30,000.
These damages are to be paid because of a website the party created, called "Calatravatelaclava," or "Calatrava bleeds you dry." The architect was asking for €600,000 in damages.
The site went up in 2012 and was meant to target the City of Arts and Sciences, a project that went from €300 million to over €1 billion during construction, according to The Guardian. The complex includes an opera house, a concert hall, a planetarium, and science museum, and was completed in 2005.
It has had multiple structural problems since its construction; in December, the concert hall was fenced off after high winds blew parts of the mosaic off the building. Calatravatelaclava was created to point out flaws in Calatrava's projects, but focused on the Valencia complex in particular.
Other buildings designed by Calatrava have also shown structural problems; for example, the Palacio de Congresos project in Oviedo, Spain.
The judge ruled that the actual information on the Calatravatelaclava site was true and not problematic, but that the name was "insulting and degrading."
The Guardian reports: "the judge said the name suggested that Calatrava 'does not act with the necessary professionalism and honour, but rather schemes, betrays and deceives.' The €30,000 would be 'symbolic reparations for the pain caused' by the site, which he ordered to be shut down within 20 days."
The original website has been taken down; however, another site, called "Calatrava no nos calla," or "Calatrava won't silence us" was launched by Esquerra Unida on Friday, May 16. Ignacio Blanco, has said that this is legal according to the terms of the sentence, and he says that the party will appeal the decision.
Related Stories
Cultural Facilities | Nov 19, 2021
Goettsch Partners completes Lincoln Park Zoo’s Pepper Family Wildlife Center
The project doubles the size of the previous lion habitat.
Cultural Facilities | Nov 17, 2021
Henning Larsen-designed Shaw Auditorium opens at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The project celebrated its grand opening as part of HKUST’s thirtieth anniversary celebration.
Cultural Facilities | Oct 19, 2021
Niagara Falls is getting a bigger Welcome Center
The GWWO Architects-designed building will mostly sit on the site of the center it replaces.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Oct 13, 2021
Restoration of Ramova Theater in Chicago’s Bridgeport Neighborhood begins
The building was originally built in 1929.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
Cultural Facilities | Aug 2, 2021
A new venue for the San Diego Symphony’s outdoor performances opens this week
Rady Shell at Jacobs Park was funded almost entirely by private donors.
Cultural Facilities | Jun 28, 2021
Maine’s Children’s Museum & Theatre moves into new location that doubles its size
Interactive exhibits are among its features.
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 3, 2021
Student Housing Trends 2021-2022
In this exclusive video interview for HorizonTV, Fred Pierce, CEO of Pierce Education Properties, developer and manager of off-campus student residences, chats with Rob Cassidy, Editor, MULTIFAMILY Design + Construction about student housing during the pandemic and what to expect for on-campus and off-campus housing in Fall 2021 and into 2022.