This will be the new MUPAC

gcantabria.com / 22-08-2020

The future headquarters of the Museum of Prehistory and Archeology of Cantabria, the MUPAC, is destined to become a driving force for Santander. We know about the building project entitled ‘Strata’.

Two young Mexican architects, Héctor Mendoza and Mara Partida, with a studio in Barcelona are its designers. Mendoza Partida Architectural Studio won the ideas competition promoted by the Government of Cantabria. Of his previous works, the Museum of Norwegian Art and Culture or the House-Museum of Federico García Lorca in Granada stand out.

The museum also has an administrative building and could cost around 45 million euros, of which ten would correspond to the construction of that attached headquarters for administrative tasks of the regional Executive itself.

The start of the works will begin at the earliest in 2022 or 2023, but the pandemic may delay it much more. The new museum will be located on Calle Casimiro Sainz in Santander..

The project proposes 18,441 square meters built, of which 7,500 would be for the administrative building. On the first floor of access to the museum there are services such as a cafeteria, restaurant, shop and multipurpose room, as well as the library. Likewise, the building will have two more floors that will house the permanent exhibition and a temporary exhibition hall with a terrace overlooking the bay.

The construction will use bioclimatic techniques in the glazed patios for natural lighting and ventilation and materials typical of bio-architecture, such as artisanal brick for the facade or recycled natural materials for insulation.

The cultural facility seeks representativeness with a friendly volume that is sensitive to the environment. In this way, the front of Casimiro Sáinz street is fragmented into strips, like strata, with a system of staggered bars that adapt to urban restrictions, generating two independent access spaces to the Museum and the administrative building.

The most spectacular thing is that it is crowned by a terrace overlooking the bay. The Museum has three levels: the upper two to house the permanent and temporary exhibitions; and the lower one, which includes a library, a restaurant, a shop and a multipurpose room.