CONCEPT
The Bizkaia Frontoia and Kirol Etxea (House of Sports) form a major sports and institutional facility dedicated to Basque pelota and the coordination of regional sports federations. Located in the Miribilla district of Bilbao, the building was conceived as a landmark infrastructure accompanying the urban regeneration of the area.
The project integrates three main facilities within a single compact volume: the main professional pelota fronton, a trinquete court, and the Kirol Etxea, which houses the headquarters and administrative offices of several Basque sports federations.
Architecturally, the building is conceived as a large monolithic parallelepiped, clad externally with dark slate panels that give the structure a sober and institutional character consistent with its role as the principal Basque pelota centre.
Inside, the building unfolds as an open and interconnected spatial landscape, where circulation routes, spectator areas and sports spaces interrelate through diagonal views and sloped planes generated by the stands. The main fronton, with a capacity of approximately 3,000 spectators, is one of the largest hand-pelota courts in the Basque Country and regularly hosts professional competitions and international tournaments.
Beyond its sports function, the facility acts as a symbolic and institutional centre for Basque sport, bringing together competition, administration and public events within a single architectural structure.
REFERENCES
https://www.bizkaiafrontoia.eus/en/edificio/
https://www.bizkaiafrontoia.eus/en/
https://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/en/new-architecture/fronton-bizkaia-basque-pelota-courthttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontón_Bizkaia