DRS Fringe

Open Air Activities

River walk and rowing ride

OVERVIEW

An exploration of the Riverside landscape and the naval history of the Estuary of Bilbao.

We propose an activity that merges history with tradition and urban development with sport and leisure. We will focus on the fluvial milieu as the foundational element of the city of Bilbao. We see the estuary of the Bilbao river as the core of the city’s urban design, the driver of its future landscape (the island of Zorrozaurre, the promenade of Abandoibarra, the new bridges, the beach in San Ignacio), the raison d’être of our shipping industry and finally, a new scenario of leisure and entertainment.

For all these reasons, we offer a walk from the terrace of the Museum of the Sea to the municipal rowing pavilion of the Deusto Arraun Taldea. The tour is guided by Agvar Bim Team architecture studio, responsible for some of the new architectures that define the riverfront between the Deusto and San Ignacio areas. We will start from the dyke structure in front of the Museum to the Carola crane, Abandoibarra and the Botica Vieja area to later stroll along the new riverfront promenade from Deusto to San Ignacio while we chat about some of the great transformations that are taking place in the Estuary area. 

For the rowing excursion will use one of the most singular ships of the Cantabrian Sea (trainera in Spanish) and one of the most emblematic traditional sport of our culture. In addition, this group activity offers a unique view of the riverside landscape and a direct contact with it through the river’s waters.

NOTE: Sport clothing is advised for this activity. Storage and lockers will be available to the participants.

    

        
DATE SUNDAY, JUNE 26TH
        
LOCATION DEUSTO AND SAN INAZIO
        
DURATION 2H 30’
        

            TIMING
            
                

                    
18.30DEPARTURE FROM THE EUSKALDUNA PALACE
(> 45’ guided tour with Agvar Bim Team)
                    
19.15ARRIVAL AT THE ROWING PAVILION OF DEUSTO A.T
(> 15’ access to changing rooms)
                    
19.30START OF THE ROWING SESSION
(> 15’ introduction to rowing)
(> 1h rowing activity towards the Estuary)
                    
20.45ACTIVITY WRAP-UP
(> 15’ access to changing rooms)
                    
21.00END OF THE ACTIVITY
                
            


            DEPARTURE
/MEETING
 POINT 

EUSKALDUNA PALACE (IN FRONT OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE) 

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            ARRIVAL 

ROWING PAVILION OF DEUSTO A.T 

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            AVAILABILITY 12 PEOPLE
        

            TRANSPORT ON FOOT TO THE ROWING PAVILION
        


        

Great representatives of the Basque Industry. The Murueta Shipyards

OVERVIEW

An approach to the Basque industrial history: from its local origins to its international projection.

Visiting the factory of the Murueta shipyards in Erandio is getting to know one of the shipping companies that shaped the evolution of the successful naval industry in Bizkaia. An example of the adaptation from the traditional way of doing to modern industrial standards, the Murueta shipyards, with its 75-years history and its more than 300 built ships, is a reference for the manufacturing of tuna fishing and freezing ships.

Rooted in a familiar character devoted to responding to local needs, Murueta understands the ship building industry as a holistic process in which they directly engage in all phases from concept design, technical development and manufacturing of every element, from the hull to the cabins’ furniture. The visit will show us how, through mastering the ship building craft, a region traditionally connected with the sea becomes an international benchmark on contemporary naval industry.

    

        
DATE MONDAY, JUNE 27TH
        
LOCATION ERANDIO
        
DURATION 1H 30’
        

            TIMING
            
                

                    
11.30DEPARTURE FROM THE ABANDO SQUARE
(> 30’ ride by metro)
                    
12.00ARRIVAL AT MURUETA SHIPYARDS
(> 1h 30’ visit to the Murueta shipyards)
                    
13.30DEPARTURE FROM MURUETA SHIPYARDS
(> 30’ ride by metro)
                    
14.00ARRIVAL AT THE ABANDO SQUARE
                
            


            DEPARTURE
/MEETING
 POINT 

ABANDO SQUARE (IN FRONT OT THE METRO ENTRANCE) 

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            ARRIVAL 

ABANDO SQUARE (IN FRONT OT THE METRO ENTRANCE) 

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            AVAILABILITY 15 PEOPLE
        

            TRANSPORT BY TUBE AND ON FOOT
        


        

A walk through the art district of Bilbao

OVERVIEW

An exploration of art scene of the iconic neighborhood of San Francisco guided by three renown local agents. We will understand, as art influenced the urban transformation and the creation of a design scene in the city.

We will visit three spaces dedicated to artistic and cultural productions from different perspectives to sketch the artistic map of the district of Ibaiondo. We will appreciate the different relationships between art and design driven by small design studios and communication agencies. Understand how the world of art has hatched during recent years and the context and the dynamics that made it possible will give us a new prism to observe the current design scene of Bilbao.

Studio Visits

Visit to SKFK Slow Desing

OVERVIEW

Get to know the local ‘slow fashion design’ movement and the sustainable design approach.

We propose a trip to the town of Larrabetzu, a rural area in the surroundings of Bilbao, to visit one of the main references of the fashion design ‘slow movement’ in the territory of Bizkaia: the SKFK fashion design company, a local flagship of sustainable design with wide international recognition.

CUCHILLO

a daring proposal and an irreverent spirit define the style of Cuchillo. A design studio that works mainly in digital environments, but, due to its versatility often ride parallel ways such as fashion, product design, publicity or art. Visiting their space in the characteristic San Francisco hood is breathing 100% style. We will meet the professional and creative crew that form Cuchillo, its working processes and their last designs.

HEMEN PROJECT

Partially in the world of ceramics and partially in the world of fashion, Hemen has established itself as one of the referential spaces of Bilbao. Their studio in the Old Town unfolds as a polyhedron towards the city, conjoining ceramic atelier zones, creative spaces and a shop where it is possible to acquire their last designs. Having generated an important community around their project through their ceramic workshops (one of them will be open to DRS2022 attendees, too!), Hemen proposes an especially original viewpoint, where training and craftwork cohabit with design and community. During the visit, we will meet the founders and will talk about how to build a reference space around a baking oven.

SINPATRON

@sinpatron

A space created by the fashion and for the fashion, managed by Alberto Etxebarrieta, where the artistic and creative impulse and the joy prevail over the rules that govern the world of dressmaking. With a clearly vocational style for art, the way of doing of an artisan and a taste for genuine results, Sinpatron is a sculptor of unique garments. His creative process and his way of doing are considered gems that stand out in the world of fashion and design. We will visit Alberto’s shop in the Old Town of Bilbao, with its unique windows turned art gallery and we will hear of an extremely singular way to build a fashion and design firm.

Bike Routes

Zorroza, Olabeaga and Zorrotzaurre.
The future of the transformation of Bilbao

OVERVIEW

An exploration of the up-and-coming design and knowledge ‘mega-district’ of Bilbao.

The latest Special Urban Plan of Bilbao, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, has the island of Zorrotzaurre as the epicentre of a historic change. It will create a new ecosystem with educational institutions, private and public companies, the creative sector and spaces for leisure and art sharing the same space. From the island, the change is spreading to the peripheral, former industrial areas: Zorrotza, with its precious industrial architecture and its working-class neighbourhood structure; Olabeaga, with its privileged views over the river.

We propose a bike route that departs from Zorrotza and follows the river until, after crossing the estuary, enters Zorrotzaurre.

In Zorrotza, we will admire the Basque Mills (one of the most representative elements of the metropolitan industrial landscape) and share a critical appreciation of the new opportunities for the area.

In Olabeaga, we will visit two spaces where the architecture and the design serving the rehabilitation achieved noticeable results. We will get to know Oslo Cowork, a space that merges a photography studio and collaborative working space. We will then visit Silo, a former coffee factory turned a multifunctional event space. 

To conclude the ride, we will cross Zorrotzaurre, stopping at two of the best examples of the island’s design, knowledge and innovation: Kunsthal and As Fabrik. Both spaces, committed to academic education and knowledge transfer, fulfil a double function. Their presence is both a traction for change on the island and an added value to the design ecosystem of Bilbao.

      

        
DATE TUESDAY, JUNE 28TH
        
LOCATION ZORROTZA, OLABEAGA AND ZORROTZAURRE
        
DURATION 2H 30’
        

            TIMING
    
      

        
17:00 START RENFE ZORROTZA STATION
(> 10’ bikes pickup)
        
17:10 START RIDING
(> 5’ bike tour)
        
17:15 ARRIVAL AT ZORROTZA
(> 5’ guided tour)
        
17:20 DEPARTURE FROM ZORROTZA
(> 10’ bike tour)
        
17:30 ARRIVAL AT OSLO COWORK
(> 15’ visit to Oslo Cowork)
        
17.45 DEPARTURE FROM OSLO COWORK
(> 15’ bike tour)
        
18.00 ARRIVAL AT SILO
(> 15’ visit to Silo)
        
18.15 DEPARTURE FROM SILO
(> 15’ bike tour)
        
18.30 ARRIVAL AT KUNSTHAL
(> 25’ visit to Kunsthal)
        
18.55 DEPARTURE FROM KUNSTHAL
(> 5’ bike tour)
        
19.00 ARRIVAL AT AS FABRIK
(> 25’ visit to As Fabrik)
        
19.25 DEPARTURE FROM AS FABRIK
(> 5’ bike tour)
        
19.30 ARRIVAL AT ESPACIO OPEN
      
    


            DEPARTURE
/MEETING
 POINT 

RENFE ZORROTZA STATION 

location


ARRIVAL
ESPACIO OPEN 

espacioopen.com - location


AVAILABILITY 20 PEOPLE
TRANSPORT BY BIKE AND ON FOOT


        

River Cruise

River cruise through the Estuary of Bilbao. From the town hall to the Abra

OVERVIEW

Experience at a glance the numerous transformations that took place around the Estuary of Bilbao from an urban design, commercial and industrial perspective.

We will appreciate the extent to which the physical environment as well as the urban settlements in both sides of the Estuary were altered to respond to the different development stages of the city.

Urban landmarks, engineering and civil construction works and industrial networks that have shaped during several years a singular local industrial landscape. Observing it from the privileged position of a river cruise, we will identify the turning points on the history of the city’s urban transformation from a medieval port city to a city of culture thanks to the revitalisation and sanitation of the polluted estuary.

We will appreciate how the route to the estuary from the Old Town to the exterior Port of the Abra was designed, modelled and altered along the course of history, and how every cultural social and economic phase of Bilbao has left its footprint on the environment.

    

        
DATE THURSDAY, JUNE 30TH
        
LOCATION ESTUARY OF BILBAO
        
DURATION 1H 30’
        

            TIMING
            
                

                    
20.20 DEPARTURE AT GRÚA CAROLA
(> 10’ boarding at the Sea Museum pier)
                    
20.30 DEPARTURE OF THE BOAT
(> 1h 30’ river cruise until the Bizkaia Bridge)
                    
22.00 ARRIVAL AT THE PÍO BAROJA SQUARE´S PIER
                
            


            DEPARTURE
/MEETING
 POINT 

CAROLA CRANE 

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            ARRIVAL 

PÍO BAROJA SQUARE PIER 

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            AVAILABILITY 70 PEOPLE
        

            TRANSPORT IBAI ALAI BOAT
        


        

Walking Routes

Following the towers

OVERVIEW

Visit to three different districts of Bilbao, each home to a distinct creativity and design ecosystem that grew on their distinctive elements by the hands of local studios.

Following the trail of the Bilbao tallest buildings, this tour represent a journey through three eras, three visions of architecture and three spaces of the city of Bilbao, where the design sector and the creative ecosystem landed in very different ways. We will share the most significant elements of each neighbourhood and the peculiarities of their distinct design sector, visiting some of those spaces where design and creativity breath every day.

    

        
DATE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29TH
        
LOCATION SAN FRANCISCO, URIBITARTE DOCK, EXPANSION AREA
        
DURATION 2H 30’
        

            TIMING
            
                

                    
16.00MEET AT THE RIBERA MARKET
(> 10’ presentation of the activity)
                    
16.10DEPARTURE FROM THE RIBERA MARKET
(> 30’ guided tour with Cuchillo)
                    
16.40ARRIVAL TO WOMEN SQUARE, VISIT TO THE OLD TOWN AND IBAIONDO
(> 10’ taking the baton)
                    
16.50DEPARTING FROM WOMEN SQUARE
(> 30’ guided tour in Dock)
                    
17.20ARRIVAL AT THE COHABITATION SQUARE (UPPER PART)
(> 10’ taking the baton)
                    
17.20DEPARTURE FROM THE COHABITATION SQUARE
(> 10’ walk to CFC)
                    
17.30ARRIVAL AT CFC
(> 20’ visit to CFC with Ricky Dávila)
                    
17.50DEPARTURE FROM CFC
(> 20’ guided tour with Ricky Dávila)
                    
18.10ARRIVAL AT ABANDO SQUARE
(> 20’ walk to Azkuna Zentroa)
                    
18.30END OF VISIT AT AZKUNA ZENTROA
                
            


            DEPARTURE
/MEETING
 POINT 

RIBERA MARKET (terrace of La Ribera bar) 

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            ARRIVAL 

AZKUNA ZENTROA 

location - website



            AVAILABILITY 30 PEOPLE
        

            TRANSPORT ON FOOT
        


        

Design and the public transport infrastructure of Bilbao

OVERVIEW

Explore the role of design on the infrastructure of the metropolitan mass-transportation system signed by the like of Norman Foster, and its relationship with the industrial and corporate design of the city. 

One of the pillars of the transformation of Bilbao was the construction of the underground transport system that the path of the other great milestone that fully B brought Bilbao into the 20th century: the arrival of the railway.

The iconic metro system, designed by Norman Foster and Partners was first and foremost a key advancement on urban mobility, but it also helped consolidate in the collective consciousness of the Greater Bilbao’s citizens the idea of a metropolis. This infrastructure could connect, in a natural way, what till then was just a multi-centric urbanisation structuring it for the first time within the frame of an integral design that offers a coherent branding and architectural trademark, as well as the feeling of a unified identity for all the municipalities that the railway system connects.

During the visit we will explore how the main public transport arteries were designed, and how they played a major role in shaping the current identity and the very fabric of the city. We will also have the opportunity to take a closer look to CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles), the internationally recognised Basque company which design marks the transport systems of many capital cities around the world.

Note: Tickets to access all the transports included in the tour will be provided by the organisers.

    

        
DATE FRIDAY, JULY 1ST
        
LOCATION AROUND THE CITY
        
DURATION 1H 30’
        

            TIMING
            
                

                    
10.30MEET AT THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM TRAMWAY STOP
(> 10’ presentation of the activity)
                    
10.40RIDING THE TRAMWAY
(> 10’ tour by tramway)
                    
10.50ARRIVAL AT HOSPITALEA STOP
(> 20’ explanation of San Mames Station’s project)
                    
11.10DEPARTURE FROM SAN MAMÉS STATION
(> 10’ riding the train: lines C1-C2)
                    
11.20ARRIVAL AT THE ABANDO STATION
(> 15’ presentation of the Abando Station)
                    
11.35DEPARTURE FROM THE ABANDO STATION
(> 10’ walk)
                    
11.45ARRIVAL AT SAN NICOLÁS
(> 10’ explanation of San Nicolas’ Station)
                    
11.55DEPARTURE FROM SAN NICOLÁS
(> 20’ guided tour with Ricky Dávila)
                    
12.00ARRIVAL AT MOYUA SQUARE
                
            


            DEPARTURE
/MEETING
 POINT 

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM TRAMWAY STOP 

location



            ARRIVAL 

MOYUA SQUARE 

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            AVAILABILITY 30 PEOPLE
        

            TRANSPORT ON FOOT, BY TRAMWAY, TRAIN AND TUBE