Theater, scenography, fun. New CaixaForum of Valencia by Ruiz-Geli in the Calatrava building

The new proposal, to provide content for the Santiago de Calatrava building in the city of Valencia, was presented by Fundación la Caixa at the beginning of last month.

Interior rendering. New CaixaForum of Valencia by Ruiz-Geli. Image courtesy of Caixa Forum

The result of a contest, of the nine proposals presented, was finally chosen by the architect Enric Ruiz-Geli (Figueres, 1968) and his studio Cloud 9. The Banking Foundation "la Caixa" plans to start work during the last quarter of 2018, with the objective of inaugurating the center at the end of the year 2020.

The project presented recalls a set of projects, forms, already carried out by the architectural firm, built or not, such as the new "el Bulli" for Ferran Adrià, or the also known Villa Nurbs.

The "la Caixa" Banking Foundation presented the project to provide València with a new CaixaForum cultural center. Located inside the Àgora building of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, CaixaForum aims to complement the cultural offer of the area and to become a new benchmark in the city, with an extensive program aimed at all audiences.

The project, designed by Estudio Cloud 9 led by the architect Enric Ruiz-Geli, is characterized by enhancing the original concept of the Àgora building by Santiago Calatrava as a large area open to dialogue and cultural activity, as well as for its environmental sustainability.

The equipment will have a useful area of 6,500 square meters and will have two large exhibition halls located on the ground floor of the new space. CaixaForum València will also have an auditorium, multi-purpose rooms, a family and educational space, a bookshop and a restaurant.

The "la Caixa" Banking Foundation will promote CaixaForum València art exhibitions, conference cycles, concerts and shows, social days, educational and family workshops, and activities for the elderly.

The investment that the "la Caixa" Banking Foundation foresees to make CaixaForum València a reality will be around 18 million euros, and an additional 5 million euros will be allocated annually for the maintenance, programming and operation of the center.

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The investment that the "la Caixa" Banking Foundation plans to use to make CaixaForum València a reality will be around 18 million euros. In addition, about 5 million euros will be allocated annually for the maintenance, programming and operation of the center.

Sketch. New CaixaForum of Valencia by Ruiz-Geli. Image courtesy of Caixa Forum

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Enric Ruiz-Geli

Enric Ruiz-Geli (Figueres, Spain, 1968). Architect for the ETSA of Barcelona. His professional career began linked to scenography and exhibition design, as stage designer associated with Bob Wilson: 'Danton's Tod', Salzburger Festspiele and 'Time Rocker', Thalia Theater, Hamburg, 1995-2000. However, since the foundation of his studio Cloud 9 in Barcelona since 1997, he has focused on the development of sustainable architecture projects. Co-Director of Metapolis, 2000-2003. Art Media Consultant for el Mercat de les Flors, 2002. Curator of the Spanish Pavilion of the V Biennale of Architecture in Sao Paulo, 2003. Tutor Master in Architectural Design Unit at Bartlett School of Architecture, London, since 2010. Teaching and researching about architecture with Pilot Projects in Global Warming Scenarios at Unit Master of Diploma Unit 18 at Architectural Association School, London, since 2010.

Enric Ruiz Geli / Cloud 9 works belong to the collections of MoMa (New York), FRAC Centre Collection (Orleans) and Centre Pompidou (Paris) and has become an international benchmark in innovation and architectural research with multiple awards to his credit.

His discourse defends the relationship between technology, architecture, environmental awareness and a clear understanding of the environment in which buildings are inserted. He imparted his paper It's all about the particles, in centres of reference such as MIT, forums such as the EKODesign in Istanbul and events such as the meeting of the International Federation of Asian & Western Pacific Contractors in Bangalore (India).

His studio has developed new materials in collaboration with construction companies, such as translucent concrete or a new ceramic coating, and he participates in professional networks against climate change. Among his architectural projects are Villa Bio, in Figueres, a building awarded by the Chicago Athenaeum in 2007, the Thirst Pavilion of the Zaragoza International Exposition and the Media TIC building in Barcelona, the current headquarters of his Cloud 9 studio.

Vanity Fair magazine named Enric Ruiz-Geli "Ferran Adrià's better half". They have been collaborating on joint projects since 2000, and in 2012 they began to develop the El Bulli Foundation project, with the challenge of making sustainable architecture a reflection of the innovative gastronomic advances of the most influential chef of the millennium.

He is currently also working on the CaixaForum building in Valencia, Spain.

Published on: March 4, 2018

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