Case study: CENTRO BOTIN
The Centro Botin, a space for art, culture
LOCATION:
Santandar, spain
principal architect:
renzo piano
typology:
visual art workshop center
size:
6823 sq.m
the light, the sea, and the architecture,
these are the elements which architect
renzo piano bought together in order to
make the botin center a reality
the ceramic facade was made to convey a
magical
feeling reflecting light and waves
Hemmed in between the park and the sea,
and on the axis of the public market, the
new Centro Botin is half based on the The two bodies that make up the building
land and the other half suspended over are completely faced with 280,000 small,
the water on stilts. slightly rounded ceramic tiles, pearl-
coloured and vibrant, that reflect the
The project restores the ties between sunlight, the sparkle of the water, and the
the historical part of the city and the rarefied atmosphere of Cantabria.
sea.
west facade
its west façade equipped with a LED screen
for screenings and outdoor cinema. The east volume houses an auditorium rising to
In the West Wing the exhibition galleries are double height and cantilevered over the sea.
located on two floors, both lit from above by In the East Wing there is a 300 seat auditorium,
a roof made of laminated glass, aluminium and lit by recessed Reflex luminaires , and an
white canvas.
and education, projecting into the Bay of
Santander, was used as a parking space
until it was built
as there was a lot of moving traffic, the architect
reno piano
created “very huge park, and completely open. and
because the traffic
goes down, we gain a lot of surface where there
will be no street, no sound,
no pollution and no phycological sense of
insecurities that comes from traffic”
it was considered “the most social project and
with highest capacity to create cultural and DESIGN CONCEPT
economical health”. 77 million euro was invested Piano has said of Centro Botin, that "from the very beginning, I wanted
in this project and 1400 jobs were made the building to fly"; it is clear from the completed project that he has
available achieved this end and much more.
Centro Botín is an exemplar of the metaphoric function of architecture,
converging art with culture, the city with the sea, and the earth with
The exhibition areas, which require high
the sky. the size and presence of Centro Botin is skilfully calibrated to
precision and adaptable illumination,
resonate with the scale of the small city within which it is situated.
have been lit with Palco spotlights,
installed on tracks recessed in the
ceiling.
77
m
m
85
50m
heat map
east facade
final model
educational area. the building is divided into two parts with a courtyard and
separated
by a cantilever walkway above the sea