Faro Santander Opens Inside the Historic Edificio Pereda

Faro Santander has opened to the public inside the historic Edificio Pereda on Paseo de Pereda, converting one of Santander’s most visible waterfront buildings from a private banking headquarters into a public cultural centre.

The opening gives the building a new civic role after decades of institutional use. The project houses the Banco Santander Collection, temporary exhibitions, education spaces, an auditorium, areas for art and technology, a cafe, and a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the bay.

The importance of the project is less in the name of its designer than in the shift of use. A protected urban landmark, whose origins go back to the late eighteenth century and which served Banco Santander from the early twentieth century, is now being recast as part of the everyday cultural life of the city.

The transformation preserves the building’s historic facades, its monumental central arch and rooftop sculptures, while reorganising the interior for galleries, circulation and public access. The arch, once a strong visual marker between two connected volumes, becomes a more active passage between the city and the seafront.

David Chipperfield Architects led the architectural transformation, with the project completed in 2026 after works that began in 2018. According to project information, the building now provides about 8,400 square metres of gross floor area across a mixed cultural programme.

For Santander, the opening adds another cultural anchor to the bayfront and extends a wider pattern in European cities: banks, stations, factories and other closed institutional buildings are being reworked as public interiors rather than replaced by new icons.

ArchUp previously covered the building’s transformation in Santander Waterfront Landmark Transforms into Public Cultural Center.

Sources: Faro Santander, Banco Santander, and project documentation.