Kursaal Auditorium and Congress Center

Rafael Moneo – Kursaal cultural center, San Sebastiàn-Spain, 1990-1999

The Kursaal Congress Centre and Auditorium is a complex comprising several spaces: a great auditorium, many-use halls and exhibition halls. It was designed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, and is located in Donostia-San Sebastián (Basque Country, Spain). It opened in 1999.
It consists of several spaces, including the 1,800-seat concert hall, the Palacio de Congresos-Auditorio Kursaal, and is the home of the biggest film festival in Spain, the San Sebastian International Film Festival, in existence since 1953.

It is mainly constituted as two large prismatic volumes, that emerge from a platform. Each "cube" (as they are known), is formed by an inner prismatic structure, surrounded by double translucent glass panels, which are supported by a metallic structure. Between the cubes there is a big walkable surface, with sights to the Zurriola Beach and the mouth of the Urumea river. Various concerts of the Donostia Jazz Festival ("Jazzaldia"), and many other events, take place in that terrace.…Wikipedia…>>