An unexpected victim of the recent bad weather is the concert hall of the Royal Academy of music. The old hall is a listed building which developed a serious leak allowing water from melting snow to seep through into the hall.
The inundation has damaged the seating and the stage of the historic concert hall. As a temporary measure technicians from the Academy have put plastic sheeting under the roof and placed buckets to catch any water that finds its way into the hall.
In order to ensure the comfort of the public and performers, all concerts planned for the Brussels Royal Academy of Music concert hall have been cancelled for the foreseeable future until restoration work can take place.
Experts will now assess the extent of the damage. Management at the Academy fear that the frost forecast to last until the end of the week could cause extensive damage in the places where water has already seeped in.
Whether or not concerts can be held in the hall again depends on the results of the experts’ damage assessment.
The not-for-profit association vzw Conservamus that has been campaigning for the renovation of the historic building in which the Royal Academy of Music is housed told the VRT that “This is just one of a long list of incidents.”
“It poses a new threat to an already badly neglected building. The water damage shows that action by politicians is urgently needed to make a start on the renovation of the conservatorium.”
