The iconic museum building in Bilbao in northern Spain opened its doors in October 1997 to ecstatic international acclaim from architects, critics and visitors alike. Designed by Frank Gehry and built on a former shipyard site and wharf for industrial use on a curve of the River Nervión, the museum was part of an ambitious urban renewal program conceived by the Basque regional government. Renown architects were invited to design new structures, such as the much debated pedestrian bridge nearby designed by Santiago Calatrava and the metro system by Norman Foster from England.
Due to the mathematical complexity of the undulating design, Frank Gehry decided to work with an advanced software initially conceived for the aerospace industry. The outer skin of the building, approximately 33,000 extremely thin titanium sheets, provide an organic, fish scale-like surface effect. The cool titanium harmonize perfectly with the warm limestone and glass, the other two materials used in the building. The totality of the architectural design is one of great visual impact that has become a real icon of Bilbao, drawing huge numbers of visitors from all over the world to the former industrial town.