After more than twenty years of waiting, the Málaga City Council has decided to push forward the Music Auditorium project. The mayor, Francisco de la Torre, announced that the Board of Directors of Promálaga will approve the tender for the works next Monday, August 17. The initial budget amounts to 202.6 million euros (VAT included), and the execution period will be 48 months.
Promálaga will be responsible for the construction and subsequent management of the Auditorium, a decision justified by the company's experience with the Palace of Fairs and Congresses (Fycma). This move has drawn some criticism from the cultural sector due to concerns that congress activities might take priority over musical programming.
The mayor has sought to allay these concerns by stating that the future Auditorium "will be at the service of cultural needs" and will be coordinated with Málaga Procultura. It is anticipated that 60% of the year will be dedicated to cultural events, with the possibility of expansion, and that congress activities will take place "on days without cultural occupation," similar to the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao.
The project to be tendered was designed by architects Federico Soriano and Agustín Benedicto, winners of an international ideas competition in 2008. The space will cover over 30,000 square meters and have a capacity of nearly 2,000 seats. It will include the main building with a chamber hall, rehearsal rooms, and dressing rooms, as well as underground parking and access.
The tender will be a single contract, not divided into lots, and the quality of the bids will be prioritized over price. Once the specifications are approved, they will be published on the Public Sector Contracting Platform and in the Official Journal of the European Union. Interested companies will have 55 days to submit their offers, with the deadline in mid-October. The award could be made by the end of the year or early 2027.
The mayor explained that the offer submission period has been extended due to the summer dates and the expected interest. He recalled that a preliminary consultation held in June attracted interest from nine firms specializing in cultural construction, some of which have provided suggestions to improve the tender documents.
De la Torre described the news as "positive" as it addresses a "very old demand from Málaga and its province," highlighting its utility for a wide area extending "from Algeciras to Motril" and parts of Seville, Córdoba, and Granada.
Regarding the award criteria, 70% of the score will be based on value judgments (organization, sustainability, planning, acoustics, stage equipment) and 30% on automatic criteria, aiming for maximum technical quality. The tender guarantees acoustic quality as an essential contractual provision and allows for a contract modification of up to 5% for foundation-related aspects.
The financing for the over 202.6 million euros will be supplemented by 15 million from the City Council, 25 million from the Junta de Andalucía, and 10 million from the Provincial Council. The remainder will depend on private sponsors. The interest of Cajamar in contributing 40 million euros in exchange for naming rights has been mentioned, although the selection of sponsors will require a public tender, as will the naming of the main and second halls.
The future Auditorium will be built on a plot on Antonio Machado promenade, opposite Huellin park, which the City Council purchased from the Port Authority for 9 million euros. Currently, the land is occupied by storage tents belonging to the Port.
