Botin Centre, Arts centre near Pereda Gardens, Santander, Spain
Centro Botín is an arts center near the Pereda Gardens in Santander, Spain, featuring two elevated gallery volumes supported by slender columns. The facade is clad with 280,000 ceramic tiles that reflect light from Santander Bay and shift in color throughout the day.
Construction began in 2012 after the Botín Foundation commissioned Pritzker Prize laureate Renzo Piano for his first project in Spain. The building opened in 2017, bringing an international cultural hub directly to the Santander waterfront.
The name honors the Botín family, whose foundation has supported art in northern Spain for decades. Locals gather here for talks and events that connect contemporary themes with Santander's maritime identity.
An underground passage connects the Pereda Gardens to the entrance, allowing visitors to walk directly from the park to the harbor promenade. The exhibition spaces are open daily from 10 AM to 8 PM, with rotating displays across multiple floors.
The structure extends over the water on pillars, creating an elevated walkway that offers unobstructed views across the bay and the Cantabrian Sea. Below, a public space emerges at low tide, accessible on foot and reinforcing the connection to the sea.
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