As part of the remodeling and rehabilitation of the Euskal Museoa Bilbao, the firm Vaillo + Architects has completed a project focused on unifying the various elements of the complex. The design restores an aesthetic rooted in classicism—a vision drawn from the oldest existing plans for the original "Real Casa de la Misericordia" (Royal House of Mercy).
Each volume is dedicated to a specific function: the main entrance serves administrative purposes; the cloister houses the permanent collection; the Unamuno Plaza area contains the temporary exhibition galleries and storage facilities; the former "Casa de la Misericordia" building accommodates immersive exhibition spaces; and there is a central circulation core.
The choice of materials—incorporating traditional Basque elements such as stone, wood, and steel—creates a serene atmosphere. Additionally, lime mortar has been used for the surface finishes.
Comprehensive Architectural Renovation of the Euskal Museoa Bilbao by Vaillo + Architects. Photograph by Iñaki Bergera.
Project description by Vaillo + Architects
The project is the outcome of a competition for the comprehensive architectural and museographic renovation and rehabilitation of the Euskal Museoa Bilbao — the Ethnographic Museum of Basque Culture.
Historical Background
The complex of buildings that makes up the current museum is located on a city block in Bilbao’s historic center; its origins date back to the 17th century with the founding of the first Society of Jesus (Jesuit) college in Bilbao in 1600.
Following the expulsion of the Jesuits, the complex underwent numerous modifications, demolitions, and new construction projects to accommodate a wide variety of uses: the *Casa de Misericordia* (Almshouse) in 1711; the addition of a third floor to the municipal school in 1830; the creation of the Basque Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum in 1914; Municipal Courts in 1924; the restoration of the entire cloister in 1976; the renovation of the Plaza Unamuno building in 1980; the demolition and reconstruction of the Plaza Unamuno building in 1986; the installation of a glass roof over the cloister in 2018; and the acquisition of the building on Kurtze Street and the start of the definitive renovation project in 2020.
Given this barrage of historical transformations, the complex was extremely difficult to interpret—a situation compounded by poor functional organization and serious structural and construction-related deficiencies.
Proposal
The proposal aims to recover the complex's original layout through a functional and programmatic reorganization of the five building volumes, establishing new connections suited to museum use. The project revives the organizational structure found in the oldest known plan—dating from 1867, when the site served as the “Real Casa de la Misericordia”—while aligning the entire complex with the cloister's original floor levels.
Functional Organization
Each building volume corresponds to a specific museum function: the main access building is designated for administration and management; the cloister houses the permanent collection; The Plaza Unamuno building houses the temporary exhibition galleries and the accessible storage area; the former “Casa de Misericordia” (Almshouse) building presents the overarching narrative through immersive, thematic exhibition spaces; and the original circulation core retains its function.
Unified Approach
The proposal offers a unified reading of the complex, restoring its original intent while addressing its new status as a public cultural institution. The strategy seeks to stylistically reunify the various elements, returning them to their initial conception of a restrained, neutral classicism imported from Rome.
To reinforce the complex's unity, a lime-mortar finish is proposed for all surfaces—both interiors and facades—reflecting the traditional treatment of such buildings over the centuries, where exposed stonework was typically reserved for facades and key architectural features.
Relationship Between Content and Container
The project establishes a close relationship between the architecture and its ethnographic content. The museological plan introduces the concept—or metaphor—of “aretz bizia” (a living organism) representing Basque culture, symbolically embodied by the "tree." This symbolism serves as a spatial strategy for configuring the longitudinal building: the "box" acts as a weightless wooden trunk, while the roof’s timber trusses represent the canopy, evoking the structures of traditional “baserri” (farmhouses) or historic shipbuilding. The architecture employs its own structural elements to express Basque cultural archetypes through this museological metaphor.
Design Language and Materiality
In keeping with this approach, the project’s materiality revives the traditional materials that permeate Basque culture: stone, wood, and steel. This creates a serene atmosphere that resonates with the exhibition content.
From our perspective, a museum should express its educational purpose through its architecture itself. In this instance, there is a code linking material and meaning that the visitor grasps without the need to read: the museographic code and spatial connections are rendered in black steel, while the wood code evokes the tree as a living organism—roots, trunk, and crown.
