A small delegation from the Nervión team was able to attend the kind invitation of Gaizka Zuazo, Director of the new KUNSTHAL Higher Design Centre, to visit his headquarters, which was our plant in Ribera de Deusto until 2007.
As stated in the Bilbao City Council report: “The new headquarters of KUNSTHAL – IED BILBAO is located in the iconic Papelera Building (Manuel Andonza, 1958), located on the island of Zorrotzaurre, as part of the urban regeneration project launched by Bilbao City Council with the aim of turning this island into the creative and cultural meeting point of the region.
With 2,442 square metres dedicated to the design, the old and emblematic Papelera del Nervión building is the only vaulted building on the island, one of the few of its kind in Bizkaia, and is one of the 17 industrial buildings that are maintained in the Zorrotzaurre Special Plan. The area already known as the Island of Knowledge and Talent will turn this area of the Biscayan capital into an international benchmark in sustainability and urban regeneration. An important pillar for the projection of the IED, since it is key for the growth of the entity to be present in strategic and culturally active cities such as Bilbao.”
Guided very carefully by Tomás Carrascal, head of the Department of Communication and professor in the Area of Design Theory and Culture, we eagerly toured the renovated and dynamic center, and received his affectionate invitation for another visit, extended to the entire team, when circumstances permit.