黑洞社区

Architect AEW has hit back at the National Museum of Liverpool in the High Court following the museum鈥檚 拢3.5m legal claim against it.

Last November, 黑洞社区 revealed that the newly opened 拢72m building - the largest newly built national museum in the UK for more than a century - had reported a host of alleged serious technical problems. These included dangerous and defective outdoor steps and an entrance terrace and ceiling problems linked to a collapse that injured a workman.

Owner and operator the Board of Trustees of National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside accused Manchester-based AEW of a breach of contract over the issues and said it had been forced to undertake a major 鈥渞emedial scheme鈥� to make the building a worthy destination for the 750,000 visitors expected each year.

The claim said that the system used for the suspended ceilings was 鈥渋nherently inappropriate and dangerous鈥� and was a 鈥渕aterial cause鈥� of the collapse of a large number of ceiling panels last May, which injured a worker.

It also pointed to what it said was the 鈥渄efective鈥� design of outdoor steps and an entrance terrace, something it said allowed water to penetrate through to rooms below and could potentially lead to trapped fingers or high heeled shoes in the gaps between the steps.

Now, AEW鈥檚 defence filed at the High Court has accused the museum of overreacting in removing ceilings and seeking to replace the steps and terrace.

鈥淭here was no need to remedy the steps and terraces as alleged or at all,鈥� the papers stated.鈥淭he closure of the area to the public was unnecessary, as was the removal of substantial sections of the step and seat units.

鈥淎EW avers that with the exception of minor modifications 鈥� the steps and terrace were appropriate.鈥�

On the ceilings, the defence said that they had been designed to allow access to a 鈥渧oid鈥� above but not to allow reconfiguration and suggested the ceilings had been 鈥渋nappropriately interfered with鈥�. The defence continued: 鈥淚t was unreasonable and unnecessary to remove the ceilings.鈥�

It also complained that the museum had failed to provide AEW with further information on its claim as requested last month, calling the museum鈥檚 response 鈥渨holly inadequate鈥�.

A Museum of Liverpool spokesman said that as the legal action was ongoing 鈥渨e can make no further comment.鈥�