Project

BOTÍN CENTER

WHERE LIGHT AND TRANSPARENCY COEXIST

Location

Spain

Building type

Public building

Application

Interior

Exterior

Fabric(s) used

White

Chartreux

Specifier(s)

Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Luis Vidal + Architects

Partner(s)

Resstende Srl

Centro Botín is located in Santander, in the northwest of Spain. It hosts the artistic, educational and cultural events of the Fondation Botín, the country's largest private cultural foundation.

Architects Renzo Piano worked closely with Madrid-based Luis Vidal + Architects to pay homage to the spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean.

They focused on natural light and a lightweight structure, which meant that solar shading had to be integrated into the building's design. An ingenious combination of Mermet Satine 5500, Screen Vision 10 and Karellis fabrics was developed to protect the art collections and ensure optimal visual and thermal comfort for visitors throughout the year.

Two curved structures enclosing 10,000m² of space are supported by tree-high columns to provide an unobstructed view of the bay from the historic old town.
The architects were concerned with several issues:

allowing as much natural light as possible while limiting glare
ensuring seamless transparency both inwards and outwards to enjoy this remarkable structure, which offers magnificent visual connections with the waters of the bay and the surrounding park
protecting the art installations while ensuring visitors enjoy optimum thermal comfort.

The solution developed and installed by blind manufacturer Resstende s.r.l. to meet all these requirements was to install three Mermet fabrics up to 8 m high (300 blinds in total).
A high external blind to control light and heat: the Satine 5500 fabric 0201 White Grey filters 94% of solar radiation to ensure thermal comfort, while preventing glare and blocking UV rays to protect the works on display.

Two internal fabrics complete the solar shading:

to darken and block out the sun's rays, internal zipblinds were made with thin and lightweight Karellis fabric in the colour 00000608 Chartreux, which regulates light and provides efficient darkening
to enhance light levels in open spaces, Screen Vision fabric was chosen for the roller blinds due to its light diffusion and transparency.

The Botín Centre is a remarkable example of how Mermet products contribute to demanding architectural projects, combining technical innovation, aesthetic design and respect for the environment.