Palacio Euskalduna

Completed only one year after the Guggenheim just along the river bank, the Palacio Euskalduna, conference centre, concert hall and theatre, also sets out to reflect the shipbuilding heritage of its site. Unlike the shiny titanium of the latter, it attempts to create the illusion of a rusting container ship crashed into the shore. Very macho! Surprisingly, they somehow manage to bring the same robust aesthetic successfully into the interior, though the street facade, omitted here in the cause of aesthetics, is rather generic albeit functional and comfortable.