City of Culture of Galicia

The City of Culture of Galicia (Galician: Cidade da Cultura de Galicia or simply Cidade da Cultura) is a complex of cultural buildings in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, designed by a group of architects led by Peter Eisenman. Construction was challenging and expensive as the design of the buildings involves high degree contours, meant to make the buildings look like rolling hills. Nearly every window of the thousands that are part of the external façade has its own custom shape. In 2013 it was announced that after more than a decade, construction of the project would be halted, and the International Art Center and Music and Scenic Arts Center will not be built. History Competition In February 1999 the Parliament of Galicia, led by Manuel Fraga, held an international design competition for a cultural center on Mount Gaiás. The entrants were Ricardo Bofill, Manuel Gallego Jorreto, Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer, Steven Holl, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Juan Navarro Baldeweg, Jean Nouvel, Dominique Perrault, Cesar Portela, Santiago Calatrava, who later withdrew his proposal, and Eisenman, whose proposal was selected for both conceptual uniqueness and exceptional harmony with the place. The concept of the project is a new peak on Monte Gaiás, made up of a stony crust reminiscent of an archaeological site divided by natural breaks that resemble scallops, the traditional symbol of Compostela. Construction Construction began in 2001, but problems soon emerged as the technical complexity of the design drove costs sharply higher, prompting changes to both the intended uses and the execution of the project. This situation was exacerbated by the 2008 Spanish financial crisis. In 2011, the Prince and Princess of Asturias opened the Library and the Archive, the buildings that were at the most advanced stage. However, in 2013, the Regional Government of Galicia decided to halt construction of the International Centre for Art and the Centre for Music and Performing Arts permanently. The building site has also become the base for the development of a public transparency urban experiment by the Spanish architect and artist Andrés Jaque. With Jaque's 12 Actions to Make the Cidade da Cultura Transparent, the building site was equipped with devices that make the political implications and ecological extension of the construction works understandable for the general public. In 2021 the Fontán Building (Edificio Fontán) was inaugurated, in the place where the auditorium was originally going to be built, using part of the already existing structure. Buildings Library and Archive of Galicia: both institutions share the same building, which has 15,702 m² of usable space. The library aims to be the flagship of the Galician library system. For its part, the archive is the reference centre of the Galician archives system and its mission is to receive, safeguard and make available to citizens all those documents which, because of their value, need to be preserved. Gaiás Centre Museum: the largest building in the complex, standing 43 metres tall and covering an area of over 16,000 square metres. It doesn't have a permanent collection and hosts temporary exhibitions. Centre for Cultural Innovation: it houses the management and logistics departments of the City of Culture of Galicia Foundation and the headquarters of the Agency for the Technological Modernisation of Galicia (AMTEGA). Gaiás Centre for Entrepreneurship: space designed to foster the creation and consolidation of cultural, creative and technological businesses. Hejduk Towers: designed in 1992 by the architect John Hejduk as botanical greenhouses for the nearby Belvís Park, but they were never built. After Hejduk's death, Peter Eisenman decided to recover the project as an art exhibition space. One of the towers has a lighting system that makes it visible at night from much of the city. Fontán Building: the newest building, designed by architect Andés Perea using part of the structure of the unfinished auditorium. It's home to the headquarters of the Galician University System, as well as institutions dedicated to the study of cultural heritage. Next to it there's a small open-air theatre. Controversy The project ended up costing more than four times the original budget and has not attracted significant numbers of visitors, becoming a white elephant for subsequent governments and taxpayers. Construction of the final two planned buildings was stopped in 2012 and terminated definitively in March 2013 following high cost overruns. Notes References Codex: The City of Culture of Galicia. Eisenman Architects. Monacelli Press 2005. External links Official City of Culture of Galicia website—(in Spanish) Spain's extravagant City of Culture opens amid criticism. 2011-01-11 Article discussing the decision to stop the project (Spanish) BBC Spain in crisis: Broken visions dot Galicia's landscape Official Government presentation Fragments of a program critic about the spending on Cidade da Cultura: Part 1 (11:28)(Same fragment, Entering the CC (first 5:40)), Part 2 (13:38)