The construction of the Taipei Performing Arts Center is unlikely to meet its completion date, which was deferred to the end of this year, Taipei Deputy Mayor Chen Ching-jun (陳景峻) said.
Chen made the remark on Friday after inspecting the construction site.
The 2 hectare center, planned by the city government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, was originally scheduled for completion at the end of last year; however, as the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) — which oversees the construction — has not managed to bring construction up to speed, it is unlikely it will meet that date, Chen said.
“I will dispense with the pleasantries and say that it is unlikely to be completed by the end of this year,” he said.
However, Chen said that with the construction already behind schedule, he told the DORTS not to scramble to finish the building, but rather pay more attention to details such as landscape engineering, soundproofing and structural safety.
Citing issues with the quality of work done on the National Taichung Theater and the National Palace Museum Southern Branch in Chiayi County as examples, Chen said: “All issues concerning the construction should be solved before the center’s soft launch.”
Chen said the ribbon-cutting and the soft launch of the theater and the museum were brought forward in an attempt to meet their completion dates — resulting in a range of problems that have yet to be solved.
“We should overcome and avoid the problems other municipalities have faced. We must not leave a bad record. This is my overarching principle,” Chen said.
The landscape engineering would involve a plaza in front of the center where an area dedicated to street performers had been planned, while soundproofing would be crucial for the three theaters in the building, he said.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) threatened to fire DORTS Commissioner Chou Li-liang (周禮良) over the center’s stalled construction progress when inspecting the site last year.
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