The new auditorium and cultural center should be seen as a large covered plaza next to the firth. Our proposal is formed by a series of building additions that vary in use and size. Playfully mimicking the distinctive boats moored in the port, the size-decreasing volumes configure the shape of the building resulting in a fragmented and abstract sculptural sequence.
The shape of the building is determined by the geographical features of the natural landscape of Orio, the absence of any remarkable urban grid, and the geometry of the site. The dunes, the river estuary, mount Kukuarri and the nearby mountains are the visual references by means of which our proposal is inserted within the site. The volumetric fragmentation adapts the scale of the building and establishes a sort of poetic dialogue with the nearby mountains. Thus, the proposed building enhances therefore the value of these natural local elements, while preserving a mediator role for the architecture so as to develop activities fully integrated with a full use and enjoyment of the privileged surroundings. The building becomes a large covered public space that enables public activities under unfavourable weather conditions.
The definition of two outdoor areas enhances the public character of the proposal and its will to become part of the everyday life of Orio’s inhabitants’ daily life. On the one hand, a public urban plaza welcomes visitors from the historical center; on the other hand, a space open to the landscape connects the architecture and its most immediate natural surroundings: the marina and the preserved dune area. Like the typical kiosks in Euskadi, the new institution manifests the preeminence of the embracing open public areas.
