Tasting Bilbao + Rioja

Despite the little time we spent in Bilbao I really enjoyed it. Bilbao is a nice little city with a friendly atmosphere. Located just below the mountains and next to a river, the spaces within the city is open and nicely spread out. Even in the old city, the amount of separation from building to building is comfortable. Unlike the old city of Barcelona, Bilbao’s had a newer look to it. With the river as the urban edge, the scale is organized in respect to it. From the older city in the northeast the scale increasingly gets larger towards the west where the majority of the museums are located. The river was also probably a leading factor of the scale of the streets and buildings around it. At night, we observed that a lot of locals enjoy long walks or even jogs along the river. In a sense the river serves as a type of connecting point between the different scales of the cities.

On our way to the Guggenheim Museum, we experienced one of Santiago Calatrava’s bridges. His footbridge yet again exemplifies a work of elegant movement (in my opinion). In this particular one, the cables in tension twists along with the bridge across the water, giving the pedestrian a sense of movement and an awareness of self. In a way, this also portrays scale in respect to the human body.

Finally after a power sketch of the footbridge, we continued to the Guggenheim. Like many other iconic buildings, the Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry establishes itself in its scale. In this particular one, the skin of the building is that very element that enhances scale even further. Continuous in color and materiality, the building in contrast to the individual is a giant. With nothing but its individual volumes and claddings to use as reference, the perception of scale is great. Building upon what Cecelia had discussed during the quick sketching assignment of the Guggenheim, its primary function within the city was to give a sense of human perception of “landscape layering.” In doing so, it is established as a sculptural node and a visual alignment within the urban fabric. Similarly the building itself provides examples of this concept, with its systematic way of organization from curvilinear to curvilinear throughout each volume.

And of course with architecture comes wine – tasting. Over the course of our trip in Rioja, we were able to wine-taste from Zaha Hadid’s Winery Space, to Gehry’s iconic Hotel, and to Calatrava’s dynamic winery. All together, it was an experience for both understanding wine and the architecture that attempts to express that taste.