Article source: Virai Arquitectos

This project proposed a mixed-use building for the municipality of Muskiz with public functions (a small auditorium and a youth centre) and private functions (offices, bars and retail), organized by means of a public square with a covered gallery. The municipality of Muskiz is dominated by the presence of a big refinery, visible from the motorway from Bilbao to Santander. The public square is opened towards the south, the views and the sun; it is closed towards the north, to protect itself from the dominant winds and severe rainfalls and to conceal the ever-present view on the refinery and its chimneys.

Image Courtesy Miguel de Guzmán

• Architects: Virai Arquitectos
• Project: Auditorium and multifunctional building
• Location: calle de Cendeja 21, Muskiz, Vizcaya, Spain.
• First prize competition: October 2001
• Working project: 2002
• Working period: 2002-2003
• Client: Municipality of Muskiz
• Software used: Brick Cad and Tricalc

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