The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum will be expanded and remodeled. The project, by Foster + Partners, will restore the existing 20th-century building creating a new public atrium and contemporary art galleries.

The new addition – made using low-carbon steel and features a roof that harnesses solar energy – consists of a structure that equips the museum with 2,300 square meters more. The top floor contains a flexible, column-free, exhibition area, with all the service spaces contained within two technical walls.

The new design will also make the building more permeable at street level and will reorient it towards the city, creating a new pedestrian path across it from north to south, connecting the original 1945 building, the 1970s extension, and the new visitors center. A terrace will then celebrate its unique location. The use of cross ventilation, natural light, high thermal mass, solar energy, and a rainwater collection system will also reduce the environmental impact of the building.

The project aims to embody the significant role that culture can play in the civic life of a city.