Rock Art Center of Cantabria | Sukunfuku Studio

The Rock Art Center is located on the slope of Monte Castillo, surrounded by the winding road that leads to the caves bearing its name. The program required a relatively large volume, on a complex topography plot immersed in a landscape of great beauty.

© Adrià Goula

The Rock Art Center’s Design Concept

The spaces are grouped into three differentiated blocks: reception and service area, exhibition area, and restricted area. The three volumes are articulated and organized around a central courtyard, which distributes and connects the different rooms.

© Adrià Goula

The resulting volume, in the form of a “C”, faces the natural slope of the plot, closing the building and creating a “green tier”. The mountain thus becomes part of the program, becomes a protagonist and an articulating element of the building, inviting the visitor to go outside and acting as an extension of the center’s outdoor activities.

© Adrià Goula

Constructively, the building is divided into two blocks. The lower part is solved with concrete walls in the areas containing the terrain, while the facades facing the courtyard and access area are mainly glazed.

© Adrià Goula

On this basis, the limestone roof is supported, which sews the three volumes together, folds and transforms into part of the facade, and generates a chromatic contrast, scale, and texture on the elevation. The building integrates and dialogues with the natural environment surrounding it, establishing a relationship with the topography, and disintegrating its volumes to adapt to the environment.

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