Carlos Lamela, absolved from final sentence for his performance in the Canalejas Project
The Criminal Court No. 16 of Madrid has acquitted, with all favourable statements, Architect Carlos Lamela, president of Estudio Lamela, as responsible for an alleged crime against the Historical Heritage for his performance in the buildings of Calle Alcalá no. 14 and Plaza de Canalejas no. 1. These developments are part of the ongoing “Canalejas Centre Madrid” project. The sentence, having not been appealed by the Prosecutor’s Office, had an unalterable, definite character. Along the same terms, Centro Canalejas Madrid S.L. has also been absolved, with all favourable declarations as a subsidiary civil liability.
The Criminal Court’s judgement is absolutely clear and precise, supporting the thesis maintained by the defence during the trial and discarding that there has been no alteration or damage to the Historical Heritage.
The following statements can be highlighted in the Judge’s writing:
“In the present case, something that is crystal clear from all evidence, is that there has been no serious alteration [as argued by the Office of the Prosecutor] in the professional performance of the accused as architect in charge of such works”.
“It must be ruled out that none of the interventions produced has caused intentional and serious damage to the historic heritage protected in the Declarations of Cultural Interest”.
The judgment particularly values the experts’ rigor and precision of their testimonies in their presentation, who at all times defended the respect and preservation of all the elements classified as Cultural Interest Assets (BIC) in Architect Carlos Lamela’s performance.
“The evidence carried out at the request of the defence of the accused, in particular the experts, evacuated by experts of the highest expertise and extensive experience, but also included the expert witnesses of senior officials who intervened throughout the administrative process, allows discarding said serious alteration”, says the text of the magistrate.
Canalejas Centre Madrid is an enormously complex project, jointly developed in seven buildings in the city centre; it is a clear exemplar of coexistence between the classic and the contemporary. The criterion that has guided the remodeling project by Estudio Lamela has been the custody, protection, restoration and replacement of all the elements and spaces of the original buildings’ historical and/or artistic value.
In a few months we will see the inauguration of the Canalejas Complex which will house the most important urban hotel built in Spanish history: A Four Seasons luxury hotel with 200 rooms, to be the main feature of this capital’s important central area.
