Large oil industries can be found in Bilbao’s port getting obsolete by the shortage of oil sources along with a raising awareness of climate change. Within this context an efficient research centre of wave energy is proposed. It takes advantage of the exceptional situation of the port’s breakwater, penetrating 2 km offshore where depths reach 40 meters below sea level. A complex system of volumes is designed according to three aspects:
- The faraway situation, which only counts with the directional references of weather, sunlight, visual axis and the main wave approach direction.
- The scattered functional programme, creating a system of interconnected spaces, arranged in cultural dissemination, wave energy research, design of prototypes and construction of wave energy devices.
- Enhancing the front image of the port, by creating a transition between the sea and the city.
The scheme is carried out by a duality. On one hand the infrastructure, following the same constructive system as ports dikes, a set of concrete trihedrons are designed for protecting the architecture from wave collisions. On the other hand the architecture, which is formed by a combination of hinged spaces connected by footbridges. The architecture is wrapped by a continuous waterproof membrane, interrupted by a few openings looking towards the sea. Moreover the interstice between the architecture and the infrastructure creates a changing space of interaction with the tide and the waves.