Milan Architect Stefano Boeri to Stand Trial Over European Library Project
Milan, Italy – Renowned architect Stefano Boeri, globally recognized for his ‘Vertical Forest’ project, is set to face trial in Milan. The charges include alleged bid rigging and making false declarations regarding his qualifications in his role as president of the judging panel for the 8.6 million euro European Library of Information and Culture (BEIC) design competition in 2022. The decision for the trial was made by preliminary hearing judge Fabrizio Filice.
Boeri, who is also the outgoing president of the Triennale, a professor at the Politecnico’s architecture faculty, and a former municipal cultural assessor (2011-2013), commented on the development: “I reaffirm my trust in the judiciary. I am confident that I will be able to demonstrate my complete innocence of the alleged facts during the trial.”
Six Individuals Indicted in BEIC Case
Alongside Boeri, six other individuals have been indicted. These include architect Cino Paolo Zucchi, also a member of the competition commission; the project winners, Angelo Raffaele Lunati and Giancarlo Floridi of “Onsitestudio,” who are researchers in the university department of Boeri and Zucchi and allegedly had “professional relationships related to projects outside the university context” with them; Andrea Caputo, who finished third in the competition and reportedly communicated the “functional characteristics” of his work to Boeri, making it “identifiable”; and architect Pierpaolo Tamburelli (Baukhu studio).
Prosecutors Giancarla Serafini and Paolo Filippini allege that Tamburelli acted as a liaison between commissioners Boeri-Zucchi and the winning candidates, thereby “violating the anonymity required by the municipal tender” during the project evaluation and “in the phases immediately preceding the selection of the winning competitor.” This, they claim, allowed “the commissioners to identify, value, and support the project presented by the Onsitestudio-Baukuh group.” This accusation is partly based on “Whatsapp and Telegram messages” exchanged between July 6 and 8, 2022, which were “subsequently deleted by Boeri” but partially recovered by the Milan Economic and Financial Police Unit.
Previous Interdictions and “Disengaged Approach”
A year ago, Boeri and Zucchi were not arrested, as requested by the prosecution, but were subjected to an interdictory measure by Judge Luigi Iannelli, prohibiting them from participating in public administration tender commissions for one year and eight months, respectively. Regarding the accusation of falsely certifying no conflict of interest and rigging the public tender, Boeri’s prior testimony to the judge was deemed “unconvincing.” He was perceived as someone who “believes they can derogate, due to their authority, international fame, and excellent credit,” from the rules ensuring the impartiality of public administration, such as the anonymity of competitors, which “remained on paper.” The judge described his approach as “highly disengaged, in some ways proprietary, regarding the rules,” evidenced by the use of WhatsApp and Telegram for “discretion and security,” even deleting messages that, according to the judge, showed a meeting with architect Tamburelli near the Central Station the evening before the tender award-a meeting Boeri denied.
A Troubled Project and Unanswered Questions
The Municipality of Milan has not joined as a civil party in the case. The BEIC Foundation, at the beginning of the investigation, had “reaffirmed full confidence in the work of the commission chaired by architect Boeri, as well as in the work of the judiciary, certain that the evolution of the judicial process will clarify the transparency of the Commission’s work.” Mayor Beppe Sala had also expressed his personal esteem for both Boeri and Zucchi, hoping that the situation would not have negative consequences for them or the city.
The new BEIC library was theoretically planned for completion by 2026 in the Porta Vittoria area. However, the project, conceived in the late 1990s and pursued since 2004 by the BEIC Foundation partners, has been fraught with difficulties. An executive project approved in 2009 was abandoned in March 2022 due to escalating costs and size, leading to the new competition now at the center of the trial.
This case raises critical questions about transparency, ethics, and accountability in public procurement processes involving prominent figures in Milan’s architectural and cultural landscape. The outcome of the trial will undoubtedly have significant implications for future public projects and the enforcement of ethical standards in the city.
Source: https://milano.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/26_febbraio_16/inchiesta-beic-a-milano-conflitto-di-interessi-sulla-biblioteca-europea-stefano-boeri-a-processo-per-turbativa-d-asta-e90f29a3-7832-4735-9d57-f2d8c9045xlk.shtml
