Repairs to the area where moulding recently dislodged from the ceiling in the north chamber of the Red House will be completed on or before December 14—and there is no cost for the work.
This was confirmed on Thursday by officials of the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (UdeCoTT), following queries by Guardian Media.
The northern chamber usually accommodates the House of Representatives. But the House has been meeting in the Red House’s south (Senate) chamber, after UdeCoTT confirmed two weeks ago that a piece of the moulding from the ceiling of the south east section of the north chamber became dislodged.
The House of Representatives, which meets this afternoon, will again use the south (Senate) chamber.
The 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament meeting involving 52 delegates from all over the world, which concluded on Wednesday, also used the Senate chamber.
UdeCoTT had stated that the moulding became dislodged due to a combination of the age of the ceiling and condensation caused by the air conditioning system located in the attic of that chamber.
Repairs and reinforcement of the AC and ducting systems were subsequently done.
The moulding is part of the intricate artwork and patterns on the ceiling of the chambers in the Red House.
In the building’s restoration- completed in 2020-the original ceiling of the north chamber was restored.
UdeCoTT made it clear that neither the Red House roof nor the ceiling of the House of Representatives had collapsed.
The situation was assessed by UdeCoTT and a restoration specialist from consultant Fides Ltd.
On the cost for the repairs of the moulding, UdeCoTT officials said there was none, since the repair is being treated under “defects liability.”
They explained that this is defined as “any issues that arise after construction is completed.”
The Red House was reopened in January 2021 after a $441 million restoration job.