Bilbao Fine Arts Museum expansion adds 6,000 m² above historic buildings

What happened

Foster + Partners and Bilbao-based architect Luis María Uriarte have developed Agravitas, an expansion proposal for the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. Rather than replacing the museum’s existing buildings, the design places a new horizontal volume above them and links the complex’s parts.

The project would add about 6,000 m². Its principal structure spans roughly 55 metres between two sets of large V-shaped steel columns. This arrangement is intended to keep the ground level open while extending the museum above its historic fabric.

The new programme includes approximately 2,300 m² of adaptable exhibition space over two floors, alongside education areas, workshops, offices and support functions. The upper level contains a 1,300 m² column-free gallery and a terrace of about 700 m².

At ground level, the design creates the 1,000 m² Atrio Arriaga by covering Plaza Arriaga. The museum’s original entrance in the 1945 building would also return to use.

Why it matters

For cultural-infrastructure and design professionals in Türkiye and Europe, the project offers an example of expanding a museum without removing its earlier buildings. The scheme preserves the 1945 neoclassical structure, the modernist wing added in 1970 and interventions from the early 2000s, while increasing space for exhibitions and public use.

Its environmental approach centres on retaining existing construction and extending its use. The new addition is planned with low-carbon steel, with a significant share of the structural system produced in the Basque region. A self-shading façade, controlled daylight, cross-ventilation and more than 500 m² of rooftop photovoltaic panels are also included.

Background

The design originated in an international competition for the museum’s renovation and enlargement in 2019. The Agravitas proposal was selected from 57 teams.

The museum sits between Bilbao’s urban fabric and Doña Casilda de Iturrizar Park. New terraces, openings and circulation routes are intended to strengthen links between the museum, the park and the city.

What's next

The available material does not set out a construction timetable or opening date. The proposal includes adaptable galleries designed to accommodate changing exhibition requirements.