D.C. architect Shalom Baranes, founding principal of the firm now designing the White House ballroom, declined to comment before the publication Wednesday of a Washington Post story about President Donald Trump clashing last year with the prior architect on the project, James McCrery II, over safety issues.
After the story published, Baranes provided a statement to The Post. “As the architect for the project, I can unequivocally state that the ballroom complex has been designed to conform to applicable national building code standards,” the statement read. “The project team includes two nationally recognized code consultants who, together with our in-house team, provide specialized expertise to ensure that the design meets all applicable code requirements.”
The Post story reported that McCrery had repeatedly warned that Trump was insisting on a preliminary design that the architect believed violated fire and safety codes. Trump countered that no building codes apply to White House construction and said: “I am the code.”
Baranes’s statement echoed the White House response that was included in the story. The White House said that safety issues have been “addressed and resolved continuously as the design has evolved” and that the current team of architects and consultants is responsible for designing the project according to nationally recognized standards.
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The post Current White House ballroom architect weighs in on the building’s safety appeared first on Washington Post.
