BIG’s design proposal for the new 9,000 m2 Gastronomy Open Ecosystem (GOe) for the Basque Culinary Center at the heart of San Sebastian bridges science, gastronomy, entrepreneurship, and nature to promote culinary research, innovation, and enjoyment.
The Basque Culinary Center, a pioneering gastronomic institution, launched the international design competition for the new food innovation hub in 2021 with the mission to bring food start-ups, researchers, and chefs under one roof.
GOe will continue the development of alternative proteins, agricultural robotics, prevention of food waste, and much more from their new BIG-designed building. Wedged between the edge of San Sebastian and mount Ulia, GOe is situated in a terrain with a 10-meter height difference.
The new building gently rises from the ground floor, utilizing the height difference to preserve and enhance the existing park qualities at the site while creating connections to the adjacent Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route and the Cantabrian Sea.
“We have had the great pleasure of collaborating with one of the most brilliant minds in modern gastronomy with our design for Rene Redzepis NOMA in our native Copenhagen. We are more than excited to take our architectural exploration of the world of Gastronomy to the next level with the work for The Gastronomic Open Ecosystem in San Sebastian”, said Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.
At the street level, the new building sets back to create a covered public plaza directly connected to the Camino de Santiago pilgrims’ path, establishing the building as a meeting point between culture, gastronomy, and the city. The building rises to create a series of terraces and recessed windows displaying the activity in the kitchens, labs and classes to the public.
Bjarke Ingels continued: “Conceived as an architectural extension of the dramatic landscape and cityscape of San Sebastian, our proposed design liberates the ground and provides parks on the roof to invite the public life of the city to engage with the art and science of gastronomy.
Located on the heralded Camino de Santiago de Compostela – we believe that this architectural fusion of gastronomy and technology, city and landscape, building and park has the potential to become a destination in its own right for culinary pilgrims from around the world.”
Daily users and visitors enter directly into the Gastro Hall, the backbone of GOe. This central space runs from the ground floor all the way to the roof. Like a promenade, the grand staircase connects all programmes and levels within the building and doubles as an amphitheatre for events and lectures, allowing visitors to observe the showcase kitchens and ongoing research during their visit.
Climbing the stairs, visitors can continue into the auditorium, public terraces, or experience world-class cuisine at the top floor restaurant. The food labs and offices are designed to offer maximum flexibility, with open classrooms, laboratories, and kitchens that can be rearranged for different purposes due to the generous height and width of the spaces.
All kitchens and laboratories feature industrial materials for hygiene and maintenance, while public programs use natural materials such as wood and stone to create a welcoming atmosphere.
The building’s continuous terraces offer different programs – such as orchards, restaurant terraces, and a landscaped auditorium for outdoor events – that allow daily users and visitors to experience nature as well as the activities and creativity of GOe. Source by BIG.
- Location: San Sebastian, Spain
- Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
- Partners-in-charge: Bjarke Ingels, João Albuquerque Project Leader: Matthew Reger Team: Gonzalo Coronado, José Gómez, Klaudia Szczepanowska, Natalia Politano, Pietro Saccardi, Hanna Johansson, Wiktoria Kolakowska
- BIG Landscape: Laura Font Gallart
- BIG Engineering: Andrea Hektor, Johan Lindqvist
- BIG Sustainability: Tore Banke, Cosmin Paduraru
- Collaborators: Gleeds (cost consultants), Tricon (kitchen consultants), Play-Time & Fusao (Visuals)
- Client: Basque Culinary Center Fundazioa
- Size: 9090 m2 / 97 000 sq. ft
- Year: 2024
- Images: Courtesy of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
