The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) signed this Wednesday (7) a concession contract for an area on the Praia Vermelha campus, in Urca, where the traditional Canecão concert hall is located. Since 2010, the site has been closed. The Bônus-Klefer consortium, which includes the companies Bônus Track Entretenimento and Klefer Produções e Promoções, will manage the area for 30 years and invest at least R$ 137.7 million in a new project. This amount will be divided into R$84 million for the cultural part and R$53.7 million for academic facilities. Luiz Oscar Niemeyer, president of Bônus Track Entretenimento and a well-known producer of musical events, said that the consortium has a period of 9 months to complete the project and submit it for approval by UFRJ. From this, the forecast is that the works of the new space will be completed in two and a half years. The total intervention area is 15 thousand square meters, which will be transformed into a new public leisure area. The new multipurpose cultural space will be built there – replacing the Canecão, which will be demolished – and another venue for artistic events called Espaço Ziraldo. “The Brazilian artistic community suffers from the absence of Canecão. He is an icon of Rio de Janeiro. Something very important that ended. We will resume this”, said Niemeyer. “We intend to speed up the work as much as possible, but these things take time. We will try to do the best: a project that serves artists, the public and the community in general in all respects. Today is a very important day for the city of Rio de Janeiro”. Facade of the former Canecão concert hall, in Urca, south of the capital of Rio de Janeiro – Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil In February of this year, the consortium won the area concession auction with a bid of R$ 4.35 million. This amount will be used by UFRJ to purchase equipment for the new facilities. The concession contract provides for the consortium to build a university restaurant on the Praia Vermelha campus, with the capacity to offer 2,000 meals a day, and two buildings for the institution’s use, such as research and extension activities. Part of the academic community was opposed to the project and organized protests even on the day of the auction. They defended that the investment should be completely public, without the participation of private capital. Carlos Frederico Rocha, acting rector of UFRJ, defended that the concession was the best alternative for the institution and minimized the contrary voices. “It is a minority feeling in our social body. So much so that the project was approved by the majority. We have academic centers that are favorable to the project, mainly those that will be affected by it. The construction of 8 thousand square meters of classrooms is planned. To the extent that the counterparts are given and the place becomes a cultural center for academic use, even those who are against it will see that area with different eyes”. The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) was one of the players in planning the concession and attracting investors. Luciene Machado, the superintendent responsible for structuring the bank’s projects, said that the construction of the new cultural space meets public demand. “It is important for us to participate in projects like this and to act as a federal public institution favoring education, which is a fundamental guideline for development. This through the cultural equipment that will be built and returned to society. As a development bank, we feel that we are fulfilling our mission with this project”.
Agência Brasil
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