British architect David Chipperfield has refused to attend the opening of his Museo delle Culture museum and gallery complicated in Milan, and is seeking court action over “defects” in the task.

In a statement posted on the David Chipperfield Architects site, the firm claimed it had “played no portion in the artistic supervision” of the building’s match-out, and accused Milan City Council of ignoring problems that could have been rectified.

“The Milan City Council is opening the doors of the museum despite David Chipperfield Architects possessing played no part in the artistic supervision of the style of the long term exhibition and despite the reality that the Milan City Council has not attempted to rectify the defects in the realisation of the Museum that David Chipperfield Architects has been calling consideration to for the last two years,” it explained.

David Chipperfield David Chipperfield

These alleged defects contain a stone floor that Chipperfield described as “unacceptable” earlier this yr.

At the time, the architect said the stone contract was not properly supervised, and the resulting surface was scratched, stained and misaligned. He presented to cover half of the value of changing it out of the costs still owed to him by the client.


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But six months later the matter is nevertheless unresolved, prompting Chipperfield to decline an invitation from mayor Giuliano Pisapia to attend the opening of Museo delle Culture (MUDEC) on 27 October.

In accordance to Chipperfield, legal proceedings are currently underway to “set up the two the existence of and the liability for the defects” inside of the developing.

David Chipperfield boycotts opening of his Milan museum amid legal proceedings

Like French architect Jean Nouvel – who sought a court mandate to have his Paris concert hall adapted to comply with his authentic design – Chipperfield believes legal proceedings could force the city to finish the museum to a increased normal.

“Lawyers representing the events concerned are at the moment in confidential negotiations by means of the courts in order to recognize whether or not a settlement can be reached so as to draw this controversy to a shut and finish MUDEC in the way the city of Milan deserves,” said the company.

David Chipperfield boycotts opening of his Milan museum amid legal proceedings

The museum occupies the former Ansaldo factory, located south-west of the city in the innovative district surrounding By way of Tortona.

Designed as an mix of two-, three- and 4-storey volumes framed by courtyards and passages, it accommodates the Centre for Sophisticated Studies of Visual Artwork (CASVA), the Centre of Non-European Cultures and the New Archaeological Museum.


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The museum had a soft launch in March, timed to coincide with the opening of the 2015 World Expo. It was at this time that first reviews surfaced of troubles in between architect and client.

Chipperfield – whose other completed museum tasks consist of the Neues Museum in Berlin and the Hepworth Wakefield gallery in northern England – described it as “a pathetic dispute at the end of 15 many years work” and urged taxpayers to demand the developing be completed to the common that was promised.

Museum photography is by Oskar Da Riz.


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