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The Basque Culinary Center of San Sebastián, Spain, is a monument to Spanish culinary tradition. Within its wild walls, groups of students, researchers, private companies and government organizations work collectively on the progress of Spanish cuisine. The building around them is a truly inspiring place, its design reminiscent of stacked plates with a green roof above and modern facilities within.

This design by Vaumm Arkitektura features modern design elements and sustainable functionality, both intended to inspire its guests. The building is constructed into a sloped hill with the plate-like elements up front and a terraced inner garden in the rear. The roof raises out of the hill, lined with solar panels and a garden of fresh, aromatic herbs. The sections of the building’s exterior that face inward are laced in perforated metal panels which add a strong styling element to an already imaginative building.

Inside, a bright auditorium is used for meetings, seminars and presentations, while chefs practice and research in nearby kitchens. The building spans five floors, each wrapped with a “plate patio” that overlooks the San Sebastian environment in the distance. From its design philosophy to its functionality, this work of architecture by Vaumm Arkitektura is a success, one that will serve the practice of Spanish cuisine for many years to come.

Basque Culinary Center -  Basque Culinary Center by Vaumm Arkitektura in San Sebastian, Spain
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The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have announced the five finalists who will compete for the metropol parasol Seville - Metropol Parasol, Seville, finalist for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. In total, 335 works in the 37 European countries which participate in the EU Culture programme were nominated for the award. An expert jury drew up the final shortlist. The overall winner of the Prize, as well as the 'special mention' award for best emerging architect, will be announced in May, with an award ceremony on 6 June at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, Spain.

The biennial European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture and the Special Mention for an Emerging Architect are awarded to highlight recent, excellent examples of architectural creativity of works which are less than two years old and to underline that modern architecture is socially and culturally rooted in European cities and is important in people's everyday life. The prizes are awarded for works in the countries participating in the Culture Programme.
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Five cylindrical buildings clad in colorful ceramic tile comprise the Children’s Education and Innovation Center, located in the heart of the Technology Park of Paterna in Valencia, Spain. The park contains over 450 companies that all together employ nearly 8,000 people. As these numbers continue to rise, so does the need for easily accessible day care.

The Foundation for Innovation in Childhood of Valencian Community, an organization formed by companies headquartered in the park, commissioned Foursquare Arquitectos to design a children’s center promoting creativity, educational innovation and socialization. Last but not least they tasked the architects with integrating sustainable technology. Lead architect Ana Garcia Sala teamed with M2 Distribución and Natucer of Tile of Spain to bring the $5.5-million project to fruition.

The curved edges on the buildings’ exteriors and interiors were inspired by observing children at play. “The rounded shapes lack sharp edges, promoting a comfortable, social environment for the children,” says Sala. “This allows even the youngest to lean along the walls without fear.”

While the school of colorful buildings makes a strong visual statement about forward-thinking education, the center’s carbon footprint is minimal thanks to geothermal energy, exterior solar panels, and resin-treated floors that help to regulate temperature.

Childrens Innovation Centre - Architecture in Spain: Innovation center for children, Valencia

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Argentinean architect Emilio Ambasz has decided to locate his Museum of Art, Architecture, Design and Urbanism in Madrid on the Paseo del Prado, close to the CaixaForum, the Prado, the Thyssen, and the Reina Sofía museums. The project, which will turn an abandoned lot into a 3,672-square-meter, five-floor building covered with plants that act as natural thermal control mechanisms, and with a foliage-covered roof that will collect rainwater, exemplifies Ambasz's concept of introducing greenery into the heart of the gray city. With a budget of 10 million euros, the Emilio Ambasz Foundation will take care of the design and construction as well as the running of the museum, which will include a program of grants for young architects.

Ambasz in Madrid 300x225 - Madrid skyline to get a touch of nature"I know it sounds presumptuous, but I lay claim to being the precursor of current architectural production concerned with environmental problems," says Ambasz.

From the beginning, Ambasz says he was obsessed with reconciling nature and artifice. His first built project, the Lucile Halsell Conservatory, in San Antonio, Texas, completed in 1988, is a collection of chimerical glass cones planted into earth berms like diamonds, invoking some vision of Arcadia, either ancient or futuristic, or maybe both.
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The new headquarters of Bilbao City Hall in San Agustín, is situated in front of the back façade of the Neobaroque Palace that holds the present Town Hall, built in 1892 by Joaquin Rucoba Architect. The recent building contains the technical offices of the Town Hall. The historic building will keep the representative image of the city corporation and the headquarters of the Mayor.

The treatment applied to the residual public spaces has the objective to fluff the urban fabric and increase the available area to generate a little plaza becoming an urban antechamber or lobby to access the Town Hall Headquarters. The fragmentation of the whole in two volumes has the will to integrate the building into the city plot, adapt the scale and the heights to the place and enhance the traditional pedestrian way across the parcel.

Inside the building the aim has been to create flexible terms of use in the different floors, which are able to generate different types of offices, from the closed one to open work areas or common elements to relax. From the point of view of the Environmental improvement it has been adopted different strategies and actions to increase the quality of the work area and minimize energy consumptions and CO2 emissions.

Bilbao City Hall by IMB Arquitectos - Modern Architecture in Spain: Bilbao City Hall by IMB Arquitectos

Bilbao City Hall by IMB Arquitectos2 - Modern Architecture in Spain: Bilbao City Hall by IMB Arquitectos

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