Il Giorno reported that house arrest is being sought for prominent Milanese architects Stefano Boeri and Cino Zucchi, along with architect, author, and professor Pier Paolo Tamburelli. The individuals are under investigation for bid-rigging in the competition for the European Library of Information and Culture (BEIC) project to be built near Porta Vittoria. Zucchi served on the jury, and Boeri was its chair. The commission was awarded in 2022 to a consortium of offices: Onsite Studio, baukuh, Yellow Office, SCE Project, Studio Mistretta, Starching, Stain Engineering, Dotdotdot, (ab)Normal, and Atmos Lab. Awarding the Library CommissionThe BEIC project is set to transform part of eastern Milan into a library hub. The investigation began in October 2023, when news surfaced of Italian authorities looking into the relations between winning team members and Boeri and Zucchi. The allegations center on their failure to report a potential conflict of interest. The two architect-jurors are active within the Department of Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, as are researchers Angelo Lunati and Giancarlo Floridi, who lead Onsitestudio, which was one of the awarded offices. The report also mentions Manuela Fantini of SCE Project, who has been a collaborator with Boeris office on prior buildings like the RCS Headquarters.Boeri leads the Milan-based Stefano Boeri Architetti in addition to serving as the president of Triennale Milano, and Zucchi leads the Milan-based Cino Zucchi Architetti. Tamburelli, beyond his work as a cofounder of baukuh, is the author of a 2022 book that reassesses Bramante and the 2023 title Grundkurs: What is Architecture About?. He was a founder and editor of San Rocco. Vox Albania reported that Italian authorities believe the house arrest measure is necessary because the three individuals, if allowed, may communicate with each other, present an alibi for their assorted presence in a place on a given day. (Boeri maintains an office in Tirana and previously designed the citys master plan.) According to the Guardia di Finanza investigation, Boeri was near [T]amburellis house the night before the tender was announced, and Corriere della Sera reported that contacts between the suspects were very frequent.The winning entry for the European Library of Information and Culture (BEIC) project to be built near Porta Vittoria in Milan (Courtesy Comune di Milano)In part the investigation relies on digital communication between the three individuals. Coverage in Corriere della Sera said that in the days ahead of the 2022 commission, the chats between the suspects [were] intense. There was reportedly a group chat between Lunati, Tamburelli, and others with the title Viale Molise, which is one of the streets that border the BEICs site. The story continues: Then there are messages, perhaps joking, between Zucchi and Tamburelli with attached, in one, the image of a book with a fan of 50 euro notes inside and, in another, the photo of a laughing tycoon handling banknotes. The overall assignment came with a fee of 8.6 million euros. A judge rejected the preventive seizure of almost 5.3 million from the seven involved and two architectural firms.The BEIC, previously estimated to cost 130 million euros, is in part funded by a foundation that retains its full confidence in the work of the Commission, according to a statement published in Il Giorno. Reactions From MilanIn a statement, Boeri toldAN, I am both surprised and extremely shocked. I confidently await the meeting with the preliminary investigation judge in order to finally clarify my position.Zucchi told Il Giorno, I am totally calm. Cino Zucchi Architetti and baukuh have not responded to ANs request for comment.In a note dated January 31, Triennale Milano expressed its full support for Boeri:The Board of Directors, the Director General, the Advisory Committee, and all the staff of Triennale Milano express their full support to Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano, confident that he will have the opportunity to clarify his position in the appropriate forums.The passion, pride, and daily work carried out together, with dedication and integrity, will guide us through this delicate moment, during which we remain fully confident in the actions of the judiciary.Triennale Milano remains committed to its goals and will ensure the excellence of its work, contributing to the construction of a better future for collective culture.Boeri has been the institutions president since February 2018. As Tom Ravenscroft wrote in Dezeen, this news arrives in the midst of wider investigations in Milan into fast-tracked building permits. Boeris Bosco Verticale was recently celebrated asDezeens most significant building of 2014.Preliminary hearings, which will also determine the need for house arrest, begin on February 4.