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Cultural Center Precedent PDF
Cultural Center Precedent PDF
Centro Botin
“The 10,000m² centre aims to promote art,
music, literature and cultural exchange in the
Architects: Renzo Piano Building Workshop region and is estimated to attract 200,000
Location:Santander, Cantabria, Spain visitors a year.”
Category:Visual Arts Center
Area:6823.0 m2Project Year:2017
Relations to natural features (climate, topography, Elevated of the buildings don’t interfere with pe-
lights, winds, etc) destrian to go to the water, and also brings a sense
of lightness to the building as it hovers above
grade. The masses are rounded at the corners
which provides the illusion of a continuous wrap-
per from the underbelly to the roof, and allows
light to be better diffused beneath the structures.
Drawing inspiration from natural textures, the skin
of the building is conceived as an oorganic enve-
lope formed by ceramic pieces similar to cellular
growth.
Responses to cultural contexts (religious and social systems Centro Botín seeks not to impose on
of the local people and their building traditions, cultural Santander’s physical landscape, but will
landscape)
do much for its cultural one. Its two large
gallery spaces, with their enormous win-
dows onto the sea, draw from and provide
control over natural light to enhance the
works on display, but can also be parti-
tioned to protect more fragile pieces, such
as the drawings by Goya that constitute
one of the opening exhibitions. The centre
also intends to engage with both the local
and international arts community, and will
provide regular workshops like the recent
one with German artist Carsten Höller,
whose mind-bending works make up the
other show to which the centre opens.
There is additionally an auditorium, restau-
rant, shop, and a vast screen on the side of
the building for public viewings, all of which
will hopefully see Centro Botín fulfil its aim
of being not just a centre of culture, but of
creativity and public well-being.
Place for welcoming visitors Place for visual arts
According to Iñigo Sáenz de Miera, director Centro Botín is a cultural center in Santander,
general of the Fundación Botín, “Building on north-western Spain, designed by Renzo Piano
our work in the community over the last 50 and primarily focused on visual arts
years, our vision for Centro Botín is to be one of
Spain’s leading arts centers; a lively welcoming Place for performing arts
place for people to enjoy themselves, learn and
become inspired, and an engine for generating Centro Botín is a two-volume space connected
economic, social and cultural wealth for the by a series of steel walkways that link exhibi-
region of Cantabria and northern Spain. tion rooms and the café/restaurant on one side
with the auditorium and performance space on
Place for social gatherings the other. It opened to the public in June 2017.