The “new” Basque Culinary Center to open in 2024

'Olatuen bidea' ©Eldiariovasco
'Olatuen bidea' ©Eldiariovasco

Olatuen bidea - Camino de las Olas (Way of the waves). This is the name of the new GOe - Gastronomy Open Ecosystem building of the Basque Culinary Center (BCC) to be located in the Gros district of San Sebastian, occupying a surface area of approximately 9,000 m2. A space that aims to merge gastronomy with science, and which will be added to the existing one in Miramón, with an academic vocation.

'Olatuen bidea' ©Eldiariovasco
'Olatuen bidea' ©Eldiariovasco

The "Olatuen bidea - Camino de las Olas" project, so called because of its particular exterior silhouette, has been selected for its integration into its surroundings, its sustainable aspects, the versatility of its spaces and its functionality.

Designed to host research, innovation, experimentation, entrepreneurship and postgraduate training activities in the broad gastronomy sector, GOe will generate a concentration of talent that is unique in the world. The building also has sustainability and landscaping as one of its key values. "With the design we developed for the NOMA restaurant at our home in Copenhage, we had the great pleasure of collaborating with Rene Redzepi, one of the most brilliant minds in modern gastronomy. With this work for GOe (Gastronomy Open Ecosystem) in Donostia-San Sebastian, we are more than excited to take our architectural exploration of the world of gastronomy to the next level.

Conceived as an architectural extension of the city's urban landscape, our proposal frees up space and provides rooftop parks to invite citizens to engage with the art and science of gastronomy. Located on the route of the Camino de Santiago, we believe this architectural fusion of gastronomy and technology, city and nature, and building and park, has the potential to become a destination for culinary pilgrims from around the world," said Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.

'Olatuen bidea' ©Eldiariovasco
'Olatuen bidea' ©Eldiariovasco

In the district of Gros

Located in the Gros district, the building is situated on a plot of land where the orography is used, as in the case of the Basque Culinary Center, to define the building. GOe generates a new public square that functions as a meeting point and dialogue between gastronomy and the city. In addition, the waves of the building act as terraces open to the public that connect what happens inside the building with the outside. It is a building that will maintain a dialogue with the city, providing spaces that strengthen the urban environment in which it is integrated.

Precisely, one of the most positive qualities of the proposal is that it has been able to coherently integrate this space into the natural and cultural environment, taking into account the context of the city, including the usual construction materials of the territory. Examples of this are the construction references acquired from the Camino de Santiago, the notorious sculptures of Eduardo Chillida in Donostia or the rock formations of the Flysh, which can be seen reflected in the materials and geometries that make up the building.

'Olatuen bidea' ©Eldiariovasco

The proposal has coherently integrated this space into the natural and cultural environment, taking into account the context of the city

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Gastromapa, savour the best Basque gastronomy

The excellence of the products and the good work of our chefs are the hallmarks of the Basque Country. To promote this way of understanding gastronomy, Euskadi Gastronomika has been created and through its Gastromapa shows us the best of Basque gastronomy in each territory.

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