Guiding Architects, tour: The Ensanche - The geometrical city center of Bilbao (Fig. 1)

Guiding Architects, tour: The Ensanche - The geometrical city center of Bilbao (Fig. 2)

Guiding Architects, tour: The Ensanche - The geometrical city center of Bilbao (Fig. 3)

Guiding Architects, tour: The Ensanche - The geometrical city center of Bilbao (Fig. 4)

Guiding Architects, tour: The Ensanche - The geometrical city center of Bilbao (Fig. 5)

Guiding Architects, tour: The Ensanche - The geometrical city center of Bilbao (Fig. 6)

Tour in Bilbao:
The Ensanche - The geometrical city center of Bilbao

The Ensanche Bilbaos – which could be called Bilbao's new town – began as the major urban expansion in the second half of the 19th century based on a master plan and was then built up over the following 70 years. For projects that came after that, previous buildings were replaced. The building regulations, which are still in force today, were interpreted and implemented in their own specific way by architects from different generations. This has created a heterogeneous cityscape, but one that is also of very high quality thanks to the proportions and building regulations that have been adhered to. We will explore this district and visit some outstanding architectural landmarks.

We begin at the Calatrava footbridge and end the tour at the former Alhondiga (now the Azkuna Centre), which has been converted into a community centre offering a wide range of services for the residents of the city centre.