Above: Grenada’s former Parliament building (CJ Photo)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Grenada’s Ministry of Works has now signed an agreement with local architecture firm COCOA (Caribbean Office of Cooperative Architecture) to design the country’s new Parliament building.
COCOA had recently emerged as the winner of a competition to design the new building. Grenada’s former building was severely damaged by a hurricane in 2004.
Funding for the project is coming from Australia’s government in the amount of $5 million. The United Arab Emirates, where Prime Minister Tillman Thomas is currently on a visit, is contributing $2 million to construction.
COCOA now has to complete final detailed design drawings.
Construction is anticipated to start on the new building by the second quarter of 2013.
The government will next be short listing a group of contractors for the project and then taking tenders.
The new Parliament will be located at the Governor General’s property at Mt Wheldale.