GD: Let’s start from the beginning about the auditorium in L’Aquila. How did you take an interest in L’Aquila? How did you get the idea to build a concert hall in L’Aquila?

SB: As you may know, I have been working in disaster areas after natural disasters for many years. For example, after the earthquake in Kobe (Japan) in 1995, in Turkey, India, Ski Lanka after the tsunami, in Asia and in China after the earthquake I built temporary elementary schools with the students of architecture. I have my own organization called VAN (Voluntary Architects Network) and I always work with local architects and students to make temporary structures after disasters. After hearing about the earthquake in L’Aquila, I collected all the information and I heard that the government was going to make temporary houses immediately, so at the beginning I thought I did not need to do anything for them. But then I found out that L’Aquila is a very famous city for music, that they have a philharmonic orchestra and a school of music, but there was no longer a place where they can play. That is why I went there and talked to the director of the Conservatory, maestro Bruno Carioti, and to the director of the Abruzzo Philharmonic Orchestra, maestro Vittorio Antonini. They both agreed to make a temporary construction; that is why I started on this project. And when I visited L’Aquila I found out an existing steel roof, which was originally built for the city tram station. I wanted to use it so as to save money and to make the building faster: I thought using this roof was a good idea, because then I just had to build the walls to make a concert hall. So I went to the city hall and met the mayor, I proposed my idea and he agreed for me too use this roof to build a temporary concert hall. That is why the project started. At the same time I was contacted by the Japanese embassy in Rome and, since the G8 summit was going to take place in L’Aquila, the Japanese embassy was looking for some good projects to collaborate on the reconstruction. So they agreed to support my project of half a million euros and I was supposed to get the rest of the money by fund-raising. This was the beginning of the project. We had many meetings with the city engineers and with the engineers of the Civil Protection, because we had to get permission from both the city and the Civil Protection. They understood what I wanted to do and everything was fine until August. Then suddenly they stopped talking with us. Even the embassy could not organize any meeting with the city and the Civil Protection. They were silent. We had many difficulties because we cannot communicate at all. Suddenly – I believe it was October – some Italian newspapers wrote that the Civil Protection had cancelled our project and we were very surprised because there was no meeting and no discussion after they accepted our project. We could not understand why they announced cancellation to the journalists without discussing anything with us. That is what happened in October. Then the ambassador spoke with Mr Bertolaso, who understood the situation totally and agreed to restart our project. So the project started again.

 

GD: Can I just ask you something about this moment in October when you understood that the first project was cancelled? What do you think were the reasons why the Civil Protection cancelled the project?
SB: There was no reason at all to cancel the project, since the Japanese prime minister and Mr. Berlusconi agreed in front of the press at the press conference of the G8 summit. So the could not cancel the project without giving us any reason. I did not believe that the project was cancelled because they had no right to do so.

 

GD: Is that the reason why they proposed another site to build the auditorium?

SB: Yes. Recently they have reopened the communication and the city proposed us a new site. The day before yesterday I was in L’Aquila to meet the engineer of the city, Mr. Fabrizi, and I also went to the new site for the conservatory and they asked me to build our temporary concert hall as part of the conservatory building. Everyone I met, including the minister Shimizu of the Japanese embassy, maestro Carioti and Mr. Fabrizi, they all agreed to build our concert hall next to the conservatory building. Then we went to the Civil Protection office in Rome with the minister to meet the head Mr.Bertolaso They were all very happy about all the things agreed.

 

GD: Can you say something about the new project? About its functions and capacity, for example?

SB: It is smaller. The capacity is going to be something between 200 and 300 seats. It used to be about 600, since we could use the existing ceiling and make a cheaper and bigger building. But now we do not have any existing structure, so we have to make an individual and, therefore, smaller building.

 

GD: Is this new auditorium only for the conservatory?

SB: No, it is for anyone. It is open to the public. Just the site is next to the conservatory and they are supposed to be organizing the administration, but this auditorium is not only for the conservatory. It is for anyone in L’Aquila, it is a public place.

 

GD: In Italy at the moment we have heard about the fact that Renzo Piano is in charge too and is working on another small wooden auditorium.

SB: Yes, I know. I know Renzo very well and I respect him so much. We have been talking to each other and we are collaboration together because the city told us they need two or three concert halls for different purposes.

 

GD: So L’Aquila will have two different concert halls for different purposes, is it right?

SB: Yes. I am very happy and he is also very happy. We are doing concert halls for different purposes, because they want to have two or three. So everybody understands there are two projects moving together. We are always talking to each other and spreading the information.

 

GD:What is your general opinion on the incident that happened at the beginning?

SB: Well, there were some difficulties at the beginning, but I know that always after a disaster everybody is really confused and many things are happening. Because I walked in various disaster areas many times in many countries, I know this is normal. There are difficulties in any project but we have patience to solve the problems together. So, it is normal, it is nothing special.

 

GD: So are you sure we will have this work completed in the end?

SB: Yes, because now everybody is very happy with our project and is very collaborative. I just want to say that we are also collaborating with the School of Architecture of L’Aquila University which is directed by professor Benedetti, and that our project is going to be developed with the help of student volunteers. The students are going to be involved in the construction of our concert hall and there are already many students asking us to join the project. They are mainly Italian students, but I am trying to send also my Japanese students. And I am also teaching at Harvard University in Boston, so I am trying to send my students from the US too. I hope to make this an international workshop for students. But it is going to be mainly Italian students from the University of L’Aquila.

 

Gianluigi D'Angelo

interpreter: Monica Maggi

translation: Valentina Polcini

 

LINK

Audio interview 1

Audio Interview 2

 

[2009-12-23]

versione italiana