The KREA Art Center is located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain. Designed by Roberto Ercilla Arquitectura, it was completed between 2007 and 2008. This art center ingeniously integrates old and new architectural elements:Core Main Body: Originally a Neo-Gothic monastery built in 1904, it once served as a Carmelite church.Added Part: A futuristic glass structure connected to the original monastery via a unique glass bridge corridor.Design Concept: The old and new buildings “dialogue rather than compete”. The new building acts as a concise and easily recognizable modern landmark, forming a striking yet harmonious coexistence with the historic monastery.

Multi-Dimensional Aesthetic Appreciation of U Glass

Light and Shadow Magic: Artistic Transformation of Natural Light

The most fascinating feature of U glass lies in its unique ability to manipulate light:

It converts direct sunlight into soft diffused light, eliminating glare and providing an ideal lighting environment for art exhibitions.

The slight curvature of the glass surface and the U-shaped cross-section create light and shadow ripples, generating dynamic visual effects that change with time and weather.

Its translucent nature creates a wonderful sense of “spatial boundary dissolution”, enabling a dialogue between indoor and outdoor spaces.

As you stroll through the glass corridors of the KREA Art Center, light seems to be “woven” into flowing light curtains, forming a dramatic contrast with the thick stone walls of the ancient monastery and creating a unique experience of time-space interlacing.

Material Dialogue: Harmonious Dance Between Modernity and History

The application of U glass in the KREA Art Center perfectly interprets the design philosophy of integrating old and new elements:

Lightness vs. Heaviness: The transparency and lightness of glass form a visual tension with the solidity and heaviness of the monastery’s stone walls.

Linearity vs. Curvature: The straight lines of U glass set off the arched doorways and domes of the monastery.

Coldness vs. Warmth: The modern texture of glass balances the historical warmth of the ancient stone materials.

This contrast is not a conflict but a silent dialogue. Two completely different architectural languages achieve harmony through the medium of U glass, telling a story from the past to the present.

Spatial Narrative: Poetics of Fluid and Transparent Architecture

U glass creates a unique spatial experience in the KREA Art Center:

A Sense of Suspension: The glass bridge corridor stretches across the roof of the monastery, as if “floating” above the historic building, enhancing the sense of time-space distance between modernity and tradition.

Guidance: The winding glass corridor is like a “time-space tunnel”, guiding visitors from the modern entrance to the interior of the historic monastery.

A Sense of Penetration: The translucent nature of U glass creates “visual penetration” between the inside and outside of the building, blurring the spatial boundaries.