Places to visit: the Botín Centre in Santander

An architectural chef d’oeuvre in Santander, the art centre promotes creativity, art and research of new generation

The Botín Centre in Santander is an art centre created by the Botín Foundation that helps the economic and social wealth of the Spanish city by stimulating creativity. A place for arts and meetings, the Centre organizes international exhibitions, workshops and scholarships, as well as encourages the research on the leading Spanish artists of all periods. With a comprehensive field of expertise, the Foundation develops research jointly with the Centre for Emotional Intelligence at Yale University.

But what is particularly interesting about the centre inaugurated in June 2017 is without a doubt its specific architecture. The Botín Center enables a connection with the city centre through remodelling completely a public space: the centenaries Jardines de Pereda. This construction project of the Centre lasted between 2010 and 2017 and is a result of numerous efforts aimed at perfecting the design. Lobe-shaped rounded structure allows the ground floor to benefit from more light, while enhancing to the maximum the views from the gardens towards the sea. In both parts of the complex the building of the facades is covered with 270,000 brilliant pearly ceramic circular pieces that reflect the sun's rays, the sparkle of the water and the brightening light of Cantabria. The Botín Centre has received 206,080 visits in 2018 alone.

“This building assumes the important social and cultural function of fertilizing the public spaces of the city, thus confirming the primacy of the urban as a place of civilization. That's why the Centro Botín is located in the heart of the city, because this type of cultural enclaves are loved by the people and become symbols of common life and civic pride whether they are open or closed.”, says architect Renzo Piano.

Spread out along the sea, built on hills and steep slopes, the capital of Cantabria is characterized by mild climate and unique personality, due to being the sole place in North of Spain to have a bay facing south.

Discover more: https://www.centrobotin.org/