In development since 1999, Herzog & de Meuron’s Tenerife Arts Space (TEA) has officially opened in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in June 2008. Sited on the banks of the Barranco de Santos, a local river, the building is diagonally traversed by a public walkway connecting the town’s two levels. The walkway broadens into a triangular plaza that forms the public hub of the building and is accessible on all sides.
The building is a long volume intersected by a ramp that generates a triangular plaza. Along the facade, over 1,200 openings in 720 different shapes filter the natural light to the inside, while generating an amazing view during night.
The 21,000 square metre complex is made up of two floors which are connected to the main entrance by a winding staircase and houses an institute of contemporary art named after local artist Oscar Dominguez, a photography centre and public library. The concrete exterior has small bubbled, glass-filled openings creating random patterns, while triangular folding planes are seen through the interior.
The perforations were created using a complex formwork system. Here, surfaces with incorporated decorative motifs – a recurrent theme in Herzog & de Meuron’s work – result in a new kind of sensuality which bears out the idea that architecture is also a form of poetic expression. (...)
The building is a long volume intersected by a ramp that generates a triangular plaza. Along the facade, over 1,200 openings in 720 different shapes filter the natural light to the inside, while generating an amazing view during night.
The 21,000 square metre complex is made up of two floors which are connected to the main entrance by a winding staircase and houses an institute of contemporary art named after local artist Oscar Dominguez, a photography centre and public library. The concrete exterior has small bubbled, glass-filled openings creating random patterns, while triangular folding planes are seen through the interior.
The perforations were created using a complex formwork system. Here, surfaces with incorporated decorative motifs – a recurrent theme in Herzog & de Meuron’s work – result in a new kind of sensuality which bears out the idea that architecture is also a form of poetic expression. (...)
Referencia: ARCHICENTRAL
Fotografía: IWAN
