CaixaForum Zaragoza, a cultural and social centre built by the bank in the capital of Aragon, finally opened to the public. The building was designed by Catalan architect Carme Pinós. Doors open days will be running until next Sunday 6 June.
The centre opens with a double exhibition and an exhibition space displaying CaixaForum Zaragoza's building process. Construction work began in September 2010 and lasted three and a half years.

In her project for CaixaForum Zaragoza, Carme Pinós sets a building "that creates city and which, when lived in, allows visitors to feel part of it." The building designed by Pinós splits into two high geometric large structures that house the exhibition halls, creating a new public space on the ground floor that will connect the station with El Portillo city centre.

Structural concrete is one of the most characteristic elements of the building, among other materials used, such as aluminum. The "skin" of the building is covered with 1,600 perforated aluminum sheets, that allow locating the lights that provide the bluish lighting.
 
The building has terraces, outdoor staircases and large windows. "A visuals game is constantly generated and, although on the outside, at first sight, the building may seem hermetic, it turns out to have big transparencies" says Pinós.
 
CaixaForum Zaragoza's total floor area exceeds 7,000sqm, 5,980 of which is usable area. "La Caixa" Foundation's new social and cultural centre has the following structure:
 
 
 
 
Until 5 October, CaixaForum Zaragoza's mezzanine will host the exhibition space 'Carme Pinós. Proyecto y maquetas de CaixaForum Zaragoza', including the model bought by Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2010.

CaixaForum Zaragoza opens its doors devoting all its exhibition space to contemporary art. The first exhibition, 'Planos sensibles' contrasts the works of two generations of Spanish artists - from postwar years and the eighties - who reconsidered concepts such as reality, representation and abstraction, and confronted the great tradition in painting and sculpture. The exhibition includes 28 works by artists such as Antoni Tàpies, Antonio Saura, Pablo Palazuelo, Manuel Millares, Miquel Barceló, Eduardo Chillida and José Manuel Broto.

Meanwhile, 'Narrativas en la imagen' includes a series of works that show the enormous possibilities for contemporary art in the visual media, either photography, video or digital technologies, to renew its storytelling ability. It shows 16 works by artists such as Jeff Wall, Javier Peñafiel, Ignasi Aballí, Sophie Calle, Willie Doherty and Eve Sussman, among others.
 
Dates: Narrativas en la imagen, from 28 June to 10 August. Planos sensibles, from 28 June to 9 September.
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Carme Pinós i Desplat graduated with a degree in architecture from the school of Architecture in Barcelona (ETSAB) in 1979. In the mid 1980s the architectural proposals she developed in partnership with Enric Miralles obtained recognition in several architectural competitions. In 1991 she set up her own studio and since then she has combined her activity as an architect with teaching as a guest professor at different universities such as the Graduate Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation de Columbia University (1999), the École Polytechnique Féderale of Lausanne (2001-02), the Graduate  School of Design of Harvard University (2003), the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio (2005-06) o la Universitá di Roma Tre (2007-08).

Her built work and projects have been exhibited at several galleries and museums. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris hold models of her projects in their permanent collections. Her work has been published in several monographs (Actar, 1998: Monacelli Press 2004; “Documentos de Arquitectura”, nº 60, 2006). In 2008 she received the National Prize for Architecture and Urban Space from the Catalan Government in recognition of her entire professional career.

 

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Published on: June 30, 2014
Cite: "Caixaforum Museum, Auditorium and Cultural Centre opened in Zaragoza" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/caixaforum-museum-auditorium-and-cultural-centre-opened-zaragoza> ISSN 1139-6415
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