09/28/2008
A change of image has been made possible thanks to the development of ambitious projects related to infrastructure and equipment, carried out by top-line international architects.
The Guggenheim has meant an incredible boom, both for the locals themselves and for the visitors who are captivated by this surprising titanium, granite and glass structure opening out like some kind of futurist vessel onto the estuary, that reflects the changing lights of the city. In addition to its striking "outer coat", the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao offers 11,000 m2 of exhibition space and a continuous program of important itinerant exhibitions in the attempt to increase the popularity, without abandoning rigour, of contemporary art tendencies.
Not far from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and finished in 1999, is the Euskalduna Convention and Music Centre. Located on the site of what used to be the Euskalduna shipyards, this building contains an auditorium for 2,200 spectators and installations for the holding of conventions. Regeneration of the old industrial and port area of the estuary will be finished on completion of the Abandoibarra project to create a modern services suburb in this area.
Although the renovation of Bilbao is obvious from the bigger projects, there are also a number of other, more modest spaces to be found, for example, when going to a concert or to have a drink. On the La Merced quay, at the other side of "Siete calles" area, an old convent has been made into Bilbo Rock, a centre with practise areas and a concert hall for younger music. Next to the Albia gardens, the Café Antzokia combines drinks, cultural activities in Basque and performances in a reconverted cinema.
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