Bilbao - Bizkaia Aretoa UPV/EHU, Spain
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The Building - Bizkaia Aretoa - UPV/EHU
The building: Bizkaia Aretoa.
This building is situated in the heart of Bilbao. It is L-shaped and opens onto the estuary, the Guggenheim Museum and is located in the middle of Avenida Abandoibarra. This building is situated between the Padre Arrupe footbridge, and the bridge, known as the Puente de Deusto. It covers a total of more than 9,000 square metres and is spread across six floors. The ground floor, which measures 2,300m2, houses the main auditorium, Mitxelena. It can accommodate 441 people and has a 400m2 foyer. There are also two meeting rooms, a gift shop, and a large foyer. The offices of the Vice-Chancellor, the Governing Board, and five exhibition areas, as well as offices for many university services, are located on the first, second, and third floors. They cover just over 1000 m2. The building also has a terrace of 400m2 with stunning views on its first floor. There are several storage spaces and a car parking space in the basement.
Nowadays, this building hosts all kind of social, cultural, academic and scientific events. Most of them are organized by the UPV/EHU, but there are also a few organized by external entities. Due to this, Bizkaia Aretoa has become in a reference place for the field of events in Bilbao.
It is a landmark building that Alvaro Siza designed. He has placed the ground floor at pedestrian's disposal and maintained the place's scale. Cornices were also respected.
The structure is a mix of concrete and wrought steel. Its northern and eastern facades will be the main entrance. They are adorned with large rectangular windows. White marble is used on the facades to the Plaza Euskadi, the Deusto bridge, and the Plaza Euskadi. It can also be found between the grey handmade tiles and on the stairs.