Designed by Catalan architect Solà-Morales and built within the scope of Porto 2001 - European Capital of Culture, the transparent building was granted in June 2004 for a period of 20 years, a period that ends on 27 June. In force since 2021, the POC-CE identifies 46 critical areas and determines the withdrawal of dozens of housing units, as well as the protection of the Praia Internacional in Porto, next to the transparent building, whose demolition is scheduled for 2028. The Regulation of Maritime Beaches between Caminha and Espinho, where the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) maintains the intention to demolish the building, has been awaiting the conclusion of the public consultation procedure for over nine months. Saying that the municipality "still does not know what will happen to the building", the mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, defended that the services understood to extend the concession for one year. "Given this unforeseen event by the APA specialists, we see no better way to safeguard the building," he said, regretting that, according to the plan presented by the APA, the sea rises more "in municipalities that are not from the government party than in others". For the PS, Ricardo Meireles stated that, despite the name, "the future of the building is cloudy", regretting the uncertainty about the demolition or not of the space that houses dozens of companies. "It seems to us a wise decision since the alternative to the concession would be to leave that space abandoned," he observed. BE deputy Susana Constante Pereira recalled the purpose that led to the construction of the building and appealed to the municipality to ensure that "economic, social and environmental interests are balanced". Faced with the uncertainty of the building's future, Susana Constante Pereira defended the need for the city to reflect and debate its purpose. In response, the mayor assured that "politicians do not rule anything" and that it will be up to APA technicians to decide whether or not to demolish the building. "We have no power in this matter. We do not rule anything in this matter, someone knowledgeable will decide," he added. Arguing that there is "a lack of political will on the part of the governments" to decide on this matter, Inês Branco, from the CDU, considered that, while the demolition schedule is unknown, "it is better to have the building occupied than abandoned". "We regret that this program was made without taking into account the opinion of the municipality," he said. For the Social Democrats, Manuel Monteiro said he was not surprised "that the APA is still thinking about what to do with Porto's waterfront". "It is a mediocrity that defines the action of the APA", he considered, highlighting the function of the building, which supports "important activities for the city". The deputy of the independent movement "Rui Moreira: Aqui Há Porto", José Maria Montenegro, criticized the fact that the municipality is "hostage to centralism" in relation to a territory that belongs to it and over which it cannot "define the destiny". "We are going to create conditions to respect ourselves and rescue the political debate about this space. It is urgent and it is due," he defended. For PAN, the only deputy Paulo Vieira de Castro said there are no reasons why the deadline should not be granted to the concessionaire. Read Also: Porto Executive rejects creating a housing allowance for eviction cases (Portuguese version)