Azkuna Zentroa

Azkuna Zentroa occupies a former wine warehouse, the Alhóndiga, on Arriquibar Plaza in the Abando district of Bilbao, in Spain's Basque Country. The 1909 brick building was remodelled by the designer Philippe Starck and reopened in 2010 as a cultural and leisure centre. Its centrepiece is a large central atrium in which 43 columns, each with a different design, material and decoration, hold up the glass-bottomed rooftop pool above. Visitors can walk through the atrium at no cost to see the columns, which range from carved and patterned shafts to metal and stone forms, and they can look up through the glass to see swimmers overhead. The centre also holds exhibition rooms for contemporary art and design, a cinema and auditorium, a library and media library, a cafe and restaurants, and sports and wellness facilities. Entry to the ground-floor atrium is free, while exhibitions, screenings and the rooftop pool are ticketed separately. A typical visit lasts one to two hours, enough for the atrium, one or two exhibitions and a stop at the cafe. Photo angles include looking up from the middle of the atrium toward the pool, shooting along the colonnade, and taking in the retained brick facade from the plaza outside. The late afternoon is attractive because the lighting inside the atrium shows off each column. Crowds are modest outside local events, though weekday afternoons see residents using the library and cinema, and school groups visit in term time. It is a five-minute walk from Moyua metro station and close to the Fine Arts Museum and the Guggenheim, so it can be fitted into a day of central sightseeing. Opening times for the pool and exhibition spaces vary, and visitors should check them before they go.