Guggenheim

 Museum  Bilbao  
Frank  Gehry,  1997  
DESCRIPTION  
•  Architect:  Frank  Gehry  
•  Year  completed:  1997  
•  The  building  has  3  stories.  The  atrium  is  
50  meters  hall.  
•  Floor  area:  24,000  m2  (260,000  sq  H),  of  
which  11,000  m2  (120,000  sq  H)  are  
dedicated  to  exhibiMon  space  Had  more  
exhibiMon  space  than  the  three  
Guggenheim  collecMons  in  New  York  and  
Venice  combined.  
•  It  is  one  of  world’s  most  iconic  pieces  of  
contemporary  architecture.    
•  It’s  economic  success  gave  rise  to  the  
term  “the  Bilbao  Effect”,  the  ability  of  
cultural  insMtuMons  to  regenerate  run-­‐
down  regions.  
 POLITICALLY  
•  Bilbao  is  in  Basque  country.  This  is  a  region  in  
Spain  with  a  different,  indigenous  idenMty  
which  remains  strong.  There  are  3m  
Basques.  Many  sMll  want  an  independent  
naMon.  There  is  a  terrorist  organizaMon,  ETA.  
•  Bilbao  used  to  be  an  industrial  city  (iron,  
steel,  shipbuilding)  but  the  industries  mostly  
leH.  The  city  needed  economic  help.  
•  The  Guggenheim  transformed  Bilbao  from  
an  industrial  hub  to  a  globalist  city  of  culture  
for  internaMonal  tourists.  Bilbao’s  locals  now  
mostly  work  in  the  service  industry.      
•  At  the  same  Mme  the  museum  was  built,  the  
city  funded  infrastructure  projects  like  an  
airport  and  rapid  transport  system.  
•  The  Guggenheim  is  an  art  foundaMon  with  
locaMons  in  New  York  and  Venice,  founded  
by  Solomon  Guggenheim.  It  was  seeking  to  
become  global,  like  a  mulMnaMonal  art  
corporaMon.  
•  The  contract  between  the  city  and  the  
museum  indicates  that  the  Basques  decided  
to  go  global  rather  than  conMnue  to  develop  
their  own  culture  and  idenMty.  This  also  
indicated  a  new  wave  of  art  globalizaMon.  
 ECONOMICALLY  
•  The  Guggenheim  was  in  search  of  a  European  
locaMon  and  was  negoMaMng  with  several  ciMes  
in  the  early  1990s.  Bilbao's  authoriMes  showed  
the  strongest  interest  in  the  project.  

•  The  Basque  government  of  the  region  agreed  

to  cover  the  US$100  million  construcMon  cost,  
to  create  a  US$50  million  acquisiMons  fund,  to  
pay  a  one-­‐Mme  US$20  million  fee  to  the  
Guggenheim  and  to  subsidize  the  museum's  US
$12  million  annual  budget.  

•  In  exchange,  the  FoundaMon  agreed  to  manage  

the  insMtuMon,  rotate  parts  of  its  permanent  
collecMon  through  the  Bilbao  museum  and  
organize  temporary  exhibiMons.  

•  The  Guggenheim's  esMmates  it  “supported  

5000-­‐plus  jobs”.  Employment  created  in  urban  
redevelopment  projects  are  characterized  by  a  
relaMvely  small  number  of  highly  paid  
managerial  jobs  and  a  far  larger  number  of  low-­‐
paid,  unskilled  jobs  in  the  service  industry.  
ECONOMICALLY:  BILBAO  EFFECT  
•  Other  starchitects  were  then  invited  to  build  
projects.  Norman  Foster  designed  the  subway  
staMon.  Calatrava  designed  a  bridge.  
•  Fine  hotels  and  bouMques  quickly  followed;  
restaurants  started  offering  the  finest  of  
Basque  cuisine.  
•  20  years  aHer  the  museum  was  opened,  20  
million  visitors  have  come  to  Bilbao  and  spent  
money.  They  came  to  see  the  amazing  
building  and  the  art  inside.  They  spent  money  
in  restaurants  and  on  hotels.  
•  EsMmated  $500m  new  economic  acMvity  in  first    3  
yr.  The  building  essenMally  rebranded  the  city.  

•  This  is  what  is  known  as  the  Bilbao  Effect:  The  
transformaMon  of  a  depressed  local  
deindustrialized  area  into  a  tourist  desMnaMon,  
based  on  spectacular  architecture.  This  is  also  
known  as  a  “revitalizaMon”  effort.  
•  The  city  also  receives  global  recogniMon  and  
media  coverage.  
•  Locals  are  oHen  displaced  by  the  economic  
success  and  gentrificaMon  of  the  newly  
transformed  area.  Things  are  more  expensive,  
and  their  own  businesses  are  not  upscale  and  
tourist  oriented  enough  to  survive  the  influx  of  
celebriMes  and  the  wealthy.  
 SOCIALLY  -­‐  EXTERIOR  
•  The  Bilbao  effect  gentrified  the  area.  
Locals  no  longer  could  afford  the  rent.  
Most  of  the  jobs  on  offer  were  low  paying  
service  jobs.  This  means  they  must  move  
to  be  able  to  support  themselves,  and  
commute  to  work.  

•  The  footprint  is  irregular.  A  plaza  faces  the  

city  and  is  scaled  differently  than  the  
larger  elements  of  the  river  elevaMon.  
Apedestrian  walkway  goes  along  the  river.  
There  is  now  a  pedestrian  bridge  across  
the  river.
 SOCIALLY  -­‐  INTERIOR  
•  A  50m  high    central  atrium  connects  the  
galleries  and  provides  a  focus  and  
reference  point.  Gehry’s  metaphor  for  this  
part  of  the  building  was  the  petals  of  a  
flower.  This  is  the  heart  of  the  building.  
•  Some  galleries  seem  to  be  an  awkward  
backdrop  to  the  art.  
•  Interior  has  an  interacMve  learning  space,  
a  bookshop,  a  cafe,  and  two  restaurants  
which  serve  the  visitors,  who  are  mostly  
internaMonal  tourists  not  residents.  
 TECHNOLOGICALLY  
•  AHer  Gehry  had  worked  out  the  forms  of  the  
building  sculpturally,  with  physical  models,  
they  were  scanned  digitally  by  the  point  
cloud  method  and  made  into  a  digital  model.  

•  Gehry  worked  with  an  advanced  version  of  

CATIA  soHware,  used  by  the  aerospace  
industry,  to  determine  precise  construcMon  
geometry  of  the  organic  forms  to  reduce  
cost.  

•  Gehry  used  digital  soHware  as  a  means  of  

translaMon  (into  construcMon  documents)  
rather  than  concepMon.  
 
•  The  finish  of  the  approximately  33,000  
extremely  thin  Mtanium  sheets  covering  the  
structure  provides  a  less  glaring  effect  than  
stainless  steel  would  have.
 ENVIRONMENTALLY  

•  The  Bilbao  effect  is  oHen  discussed  in  terms  of  

developments  having  economic  sustainability,  
providing  a  living  for  a  deindustrialized  area.    
Most  later  projects  like  this,  however,  did  not  
experience  the  same  degree  of  success.  The  
effect  seemed  to  be  more  of  a  one  off.  

•  Gehry  is  known  for  making  spaces  that  are  

sustainable  socially.    

•  Gehry  thinks  LEED  raMngs    are  awarded  for  

‘bogus  stuff’  and  that  climate  change  and  
sustainable  design  are  “poliMcal”  issues.  

•  The  museum  adopted  polluMon  prevenMon  and  

waste  control  systems  in  2004  and  monitors  its  
impact  on  the  environment.  

•  The  frame  of  the  building  was  steel,  which  the  

city  has  a  history  of  producing.  This  was  covered  
with  Mtanium  bought  cheaply  from  Russia.  
REFERENCES  

hjps://www.dw.com/en/the-­‐museum-­‐that-­‐changed-­‐a-­‐whole-­‐city-­‐guggenheim-­‐museum-­‐bilbao-­‐turns-­‐20/
a-­‐41013716  
hjps://www.guggenheim-­‐bilbao.eus/en/the-­‐building/the-­‐construcMon/  
hjps://www.aprservices.net/3d-­‐modelling-­‐for-­‐the-­‐guggenheim-­‐bilbao-­‐20th-­‐anniversary-­‐projecMon-­‐
mapping.html  
hjps://www.inexhibit.com/mymuseum/guggenheim-­‐museum-­‐bilbao/  
hjps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/oct/01/bilbao-­‐effect-­‐frank-­‐gehry-­‐guggenheim-­‐global-­‐craze  
hjps://inhabitat.com/frank-­‐gehry-­‐calls-­‐sustainable-­‐design-­‐poliMcal/  
hjp://www.guggenheim-­‐bilbao-­‐corp.eus/en/environment/