The power of architecture to effect is reported extensively in respect of the Guggenheim museum building in Bilbao and, on the opening of the V&A in Dundee in September last year, comparisons with Bilbao were inevitably drawn. That said, a single iconic building shouldn’t be relied upon to be the catalyst for regeneration on its own.
“…architecture effects. It doesn’t just affect; it brings about something new…”
From the exhibition “architecture effects” at the Bilbao Guggenheim
The power of architecture to effect is reported extensively in respect of the Guggenheim museum building in Bilbao, with positive cultural, social and economic change in the city resulting from its opening in 1997. On the opening of the V&A in Dundee in September last year, comparisons with Bilbao were inevitably drawn. That said, as we noted in our blog on the V&A, a single iconic building shouldn’t be relied upon to be the catalyst for regeneration on its own.
When visiting the Bilbao Guggenheim earlier this year, I found myself reflecting again on this question and indeed how real and lasting the “Guggenheim effect” actually is, even for Bilbao, as well as how much of that is down to the effect of architecture.
An important aspect of the Guggenheim is its location in a post-industrial port city, within which the building occupies a prominent waterside site. This is then reflected in the architecture, through which the building draws the outside world inside, embedding it in the place in which it is constructed and, ostensibly, taking that place with it on its social, cultural and economic journey.
The Guggenheim is described as suggesting the shape of a boat with billowing sails, reflecting its location on a former shipyard, with the same materials used both externally and internally in places. And its architect, Frank Gehry, is cited as attributing a large part of its success to the work he put in to connecting it to its surroundings (article in the Guardian in October 2017).
What draws a lot of people to the building though is not just the architecture, but also what’s inside it, the primary purpose being to provide space for the works of others. The director general of the Bilbao Guggenheim, Juan Ignacio Vidarte, has expressly recognised this and, when asked about the “Guggenheim effect”, has highlighted that the museum is not just about the building, but is also about its management and content. At the same time, Vidarte has said that the Guggenheim isn’t the only factor in the regeneration of Bilbao, with investment in infrastructure and other reforms also important.
Undoubtably, the Guggenheim is an incredibly impressive building to visit, and Bilbao is undeniably a very different place compared with 20 years ago. Yet, approaching the Guggenheim from the city centre, those who don’t seem to have benefited from the “Guggenheim effect” are camped out under a bridge just a few hundred metres away, starting the day by brushing their teeth in the municipal water fountain as tourists pass by on their way to the city’s icon of social, cultural and economic change.
For all that the Guggenheim has brought to the city, further investment and reforms are still necessary to deliver those social, cultural and economic benefits more widely.
In other words, architecture that is more than just a building is an important part of bringing in the new and effecting positive change, but it’s not the whole story.
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Thanks for reading!
Pippa