To Whom It May Concern:
As customers and users of EL TANQUE CULTURAL SPACE, from the architect Fernando Menis, we
Declare:
- It is a cultural space of industrial character that given to its architectural refurbishment it’s operative since its opening in 1997 to the present in a functional and perfect way for all cultural events for which it was dreamed.
- It is considered one of the best Cultural buildings in the Canary Islands.
- It recognizes both the modern and original design of this spectacular oil drum converted into a cultural center as well as its spatiality and special lighting.
- That was one of the most Low-cost buildings of its time, with the lowest cost of all works built in Spain during the 90′s.
- That the terms executed by the architect were always appropriate and swift.

We consider Fernando Menis as the best architect in the Canary Islands and one of the best in Spain, a fact supported by the numerous awards received throughout his career.

Tenerife, June 19, 2012.

Antonio Vizcaya
Secretary of the Amigos del Espacio Cultural El Tanque Association.

El tanque cultural space

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

From my position as part of the ordering process for the Pool in the Spree River by Fernando Menis architect, an arcitecture critic and curator,, Director of the AEDES ARCHITECTURE FORUM Berlin, former Director of the Netherlands Architecture Museum NAi
which is an edge reference for this field of arts,

Declare:

1. That in 2001, the association STADTKUNSTPROJEKTE of the City of Berlin organized a project called Con_Con 2002: Constructed Connections. Among its activities, this project included an ideas competition to which architects from all Europe could apply; the theme of the competition was the mutation of the River Spree and its relation with the City of Berlin.
2. That I took part to the Board of the STADTKUNSTPROJEKTE together with other renown experts of architecture and engineering from Germany: I mention for instance professor Karl Ganser, Mr. Stephan Craig or Mrs. Heike Catherina Müller.
3. That the aim of the above project was the dialogue between art, architecture, urbanism and engineering.
4. That the mentioned Board I was part of, selected 41 participants who included also Artengo, Menis and Pastrana.
5. That in the above mentioned competition, the idea of the Canarian architects: Mr. FERNANDO MARTIN MENIS won, and the construction of the pool was commissioned for 2004. The idea of the Canarian architects was to take a a typical boat from the area of the river Spree and transform it into a public pool to be located in the decayed area on the Spree’ shore for the public use of the Berlin’s inhabitants.
6. That I also have evidence of the fact that Mr. MARTIN MENIS was the person who actually was leading together with his collaborator Mr. Gil Wilk, the process and completion of the works, confronting himself with all the problems that appeared during the process of construction. In fact, the professional curriculum and Mr. FERNANDO MENIS’s profile as an architect, were one of the reasons for which we had invited the Canarian architects team to compete.
7. That, whenever I took part as a member to any Jury of selection for architecture projects, there were always the architects themselves, one or several together who declared themselves as authors of the projects, since only themselves, as physical persons, fulfil the request of being the creators of the projects.
8. That the project was developed and built with a low-cost architecture concept, involving in the architectural design private businessman assuming the construction and operation of the pool in the Spree river, and therefore not only the delivery dates were accomplished, but also the budget expectations.
9. 9. The project has been a great success for the city of Berlin becoming a new icon of the city.

Dr. h.c. Kristin Feireiss
Director Aedes Architecture Forum

Berlín, June 19th, 2012.

Dr. H.C. Kristin Feireiss