La Laguna Re-tenders €1.5M Casa Menéndez Cultural Centre Project After First Attempt Fails

La Laguna City Council is trying again to find a company to renovate Casa Menéndez into a cultural centre. The first attempt to award the contract, which had a budget of 1.5 million euros, failed because no one bid for the work.

The project is now being re-tendered with the same budget, and companies have until the 21st of this month to submit their offers.

Ángel Chinea, the councillor for Works, Infrastructure, and Accessibility, said that after the first tender was unsuccessful, they spoke to companies to understand why they hadn't bid. "Most said they didn't know about it, and others were busy with other projects," he explained. "So, we've promoted this tender more widely and hope to see more interest this time."

The building, located in the Gracia-Finca España area, was once a family home and is now owned by the City Council. Built in 1949, it has three floors and covers nearly 500 square meters. It sits on a large, landscaped plot of over 6,500 square meters, which is also owned by the council.

In late 2022, the council announced plans to renovate the property to create a significant cultural space. Gesplan was hired to design the project, which includes plans for:

• Multi-purpose rooms of various sizes
• Restrooms on each floor, including accessible ones
• A reception and entrance hall
• Administrative offices
• A storage/archive room
• A separate storage area for the Parks and Gardens service

The project aims to "conserve and restore the original look of the building, which is part of the area's history," by keeping its shape, window and facade details, and original materials.