BASQUE LUXURY FIRM: FOSTER
BASQUE LUXURY FIRM: FOSTER
In keeping with the great tradition of Bilbao —a city with a rich industrial heritage and an extraordinary capacity for reinvention— the expansion of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum creates a graceful bridge between past and future. We look back by restoring the museum’s original entrance and its connection to the prominent public space that acts as its civic gateway.
The project also forges links across different spheres of society, cultivating fresh relationships between the city’s residents and its visitors. The atrium becomes a public meeting place, crowned by spacious new galleries and suspended viewpoints floating above it. The overall surface area will increase by 50%, and 70% of the existing building will be remodeled: essentially, the very best of the old and the new.
The ultimate expression of sustainability is reuse. The new extension rests respectfully upon the existing museum, incorporating green steel in its structure and a roof designed to generate energy. Cross ventilation, natural light, high thermal inertia, solar energy, and rainwater harvesting all work together to reduce the building’s environmental impact.
Above all, this project is a celebration of the vital role that culture —in this case, the visual arts— can play in the civic life of a great city. It stands as a symbol of an optimistic future for generations to come.
It has been a privilege to work with the museum’s team under the visionary leadership of its director, Miguel Zugaza, who kept the museum’s doors open to the public throughout the entire construction process. We have also collaborated closely with architect Luis María Uriarte to bring the project to life. The result is a testament to the collective effort and shared values of all those involved.
Lord Norman Foster
Architect
Photograph: Nigel Young / Foster + Partners.
