A redevelopment public square, housing and commercial complex in the Basque city of Bilbao, Spain.
Bilbao used to prosper with iron and other heavy industries but history has transformed it into a town of finance and commerce. On the left banks of the river Bilbao , formerly used as a canal, redevelopment projects are in progress led by the city and a number of architects have been appointed to do the design, such as Guggenheim Museum by Frank O. Gehry, and so on.
In the first half of the 20th Century, a bonded warehouse was built on the same river banks. In the 1990’s there were plans for a new commercial and office complex to be placed inside a preserved facade, but the project was abandoned half way through construction.
This new scheme was to demolish the existing building except most of the old warehouse facade and the structure below grade from the last construction, then to place a public square, commercial facilities and housing above.
An axis is set on the road leading to Moyua Square, the center of the city. On it is placed a fan shaped square, stepping down from the city center, providing a connection to the riverbanks. On each side of the square, 82 meter high glass high-rise housing blocks are placed symmetrically forming a “gateway” to the city.
Inside the old facade, low-rise housing units with 3 different exterior wall materials; stone, brick and glass, are placed in a zigzag form like a Japanese folding screen. A curved glass wall is added to the preserved fac ade, to utilize it as an entrance down to the commercial facilities that expands on the level below.