An Arts Centre must be a place where creativity is shared in common spaces. From this starting point, mlkt designed the new facilities for Apertura, one of the most important photography schools in Spain. The property had a complicated distribution: natural lighting coming from one side only, a very narrow plan and a useless core occupied by the staircase and the lift for the apartments above. The project was solved by changing the circulation in the premises. We opened a big gap in the structure, where now stands a steel staircase in the corporate colour that organizes all the uses around. All the classrooms are disposed around this generous central space that both distributes the space and lets in the natural light that penetrates from the façade. Industrial materials were chosen for construction: steel and glass partitions that give character to the spaces. These elements also allow the rooms to be more or less compartmented depending on the different uses that the centre needs: exhibition hall, conferences, classes, photography practices, videorecording...

The Visual Arts Centre is divided in three levels. On the ground floor, we can find the exhibition hall that welcomes the visitors. A little bit inwards, the red stairs mark the heart of the space with the reception, a kitchenette and a big classroom around them. On this floor, we also find the director’s office and the toilets. On the upper floor, there is a photography studio, a library and the classrooms, all of them with sliding panels allowing those spaces to become one. On the basement, far from the natural light, the laboratory develops the magic of analogic photography.

Every spot of these premises could become a photography studio. Control of light is the basis of this project, filtering it by the use of sliding panels and doors. Spaces can be transformed and used in different ways in order to bring cultural live to every corner of the Photography Centre.