On August 13, 2011 the Austrian Times (
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"Viennese parliament has become dangerous area
It has been known that the parliament on Vienna's ring street would be closed for renovations this summer, the urgency of the renovations got revealed only now by an architectural assessment.
In 2014 the 130-year-old building will receive a complete overhaul worth about 295 million Euros during which the MPs will have to move to a makeshift location that will cost about 35 million.
The 2014 renovation plans include an additional option of repairing the derelict attic for 40 million Euros.
The most urgent safety measures that will be taken this summer include the congress assembly hall's glass roof which is in immediate danger of collapsing. The works will block the hall for renovations at least until September.
Should any emergency assemblies have to be held before the end of the summer break, they will have to be held in the old historic assembly hall.
Furthermore, Hermann Schnell, a member of a team of architects that conducted the assessment of the parliament building added that the emergency escapes were in a worrying state and since they were made out of iron and steel would lose their load capacity in case of fire.
Schnell outlined: "We have to provide alternative emergency escape routes."
Some of the parliament's 30 lifts are so deteriorated that some of them had to be closed for now. Schnell said it would not pay to repair them one by one but rather have them all changed which would also save on operating costs.
Some of the parliament's water pipes are broken too and causing water to leak out.
The right wing FPÖ and BZÖ parties have been continually railing against the high costs of the pending 2014 renovations but if nothing is done, the parliament could lose its operating license, architects warned.
Presiding officer of parliament, Barbara Prammer (SPÖ), said: "The invitation for companies to bid for the renovation will start at the beginning of 2012.""