Defiant government architects denied responsibility yesterday for an unapproved alteration to the Central Library's exterior wall design.
The controversy erupted when architects added extra columns outside a glass wall without letting municipal councillors know.
Yesterday's move also reversed the Architectural Services Department's stance last week when it apologised for the 'oversight'.
The department's deputy director, Kwan Pak-lam, yesterday said: 'Normally, we do not report back to our clients on minor changes unless it involves a lot of extra money or really big changes.' But he conceded that they might have been politically insensitive this time.
Mr Kwan yesterday accompanied provisional urban councillors to the new site in Causeway Bay.
The fiasco saw architects spend an extra $300,000 to add six decorative columns in front of a glass wall of the 10th and 11th floors without council approval.
