The Alhóndiga Cultural Center and other architectural dreams

Sanz Lacarra, Patricia ; Pérez Moreno, Lucía Carmen (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: At the end of the 1980s, Jose María Gorordo, Mayor of Bilbao, promoted the remodeling of the old municipal wine warehouse, the Alhóndiga, an important project by the Bilbao-born architect Ricardo Bastida. The 1909 building had been in use until 1977 when it ceased its operations. In order to create a large cultural center that would serve as a model for other Basque cities as well as reactivate the local economy, Gorordo invited two renowned architects, Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza and Juan Daniel Fullaondo, to design a new project. Sculptor Jorge Oteiza, one of the most important artistic references from the Basque Country since the 1950s, joined them. After several architectural proposals and multiple political and media issues, the project never materialized, becoming one of the most emblematic unbuilt projects in the city. Finally, in 2010 the French designer Philippe Starck remodeled the building as a multipurpose civic center.

Idioma: Inglés

Año: 2017

Publicado en: MAS Context 30-31 (2017), 194-207
ISSN: 2379-4763

Originalmente disponible en: Texto completo de la revista

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Composición Arquitectónic (Unidad Predepartam. Arquitect.)