A groundbreaking food research center featuring sloping walkable roof terraces has been completed in San Sebastián, Spain, designed by Danish architecture studio BIG and Spanish firm Bat Architecture. The project, called GOE (Gastronomy Open Ecosystem), serves as an innovative hub for the Basque Culinary Centre, bringing together startups, researchers, and chefs under one distinctive curving roof structure.
Located at the base of Mount Ulia on a challenging site with a 33-foot height difference, GOE was strategically partially submerged into the sloping landscape. The building's walkable roof gently rises as it stretches toward the nearby sea, creating a series of outdoor terraces that offer views of culinary activities inside through tall windows. This design approach allows the structure to emerge organically from the coastal terrain.
"Conceived as an architectural extension of the dramatic landscape and cityscape of San Sebastián, our design liberates the ground and provides parks on the roof, inviting the public life of the city to engage with the art and science of gastronomy," explained BIG founder Bjarke Ingels. The architectural concept transforms the building into a continuation of the natural environment rather than an intrusion upon it.
At the heart of the facility lies a central gastronomy hall that serves as the building's backbone, forming the entry space on the lower ground floor and rising into a staircase with stepped seating suitable for events and lectures. This central staircase connects various functional areas including kitchens, laboratories, and classrooms, all designed as flexible spaces that can be easily reconfigured to meet different operational needs.
Bat Architecture emphasized how the design reflects the local environment, stating: "Its design translates the strength of San Sebastián's landscape into fluid architecture – a building that emerges from the terrain, featuring a public plinth, green terraces, and a monumental staircase connecting inside and out. The glass facade blurs boundaries between interior and exterior, while the stepped green roof evokes the flysch formations characteristic of the Basque coastline."
The interior spaces were carefully planned with specific materials chosen for different functions. Kitchen and educational areas feature industrial materials selected for hygiene and maintenance requirements, while publicly accessible spaces, including a restaurant on the top floor, showcase natural surfaces such as wood and stone to create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors.
The project's integration with the surrounding area was a key consideration, with outdoor public spaces and planted landscaping designed to connect GOE with the adjacent Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. A stepped area leads from the main street to a pathway around the back of the building, providing access to the building's rooftop terraces and creating seamless transitions between different levels.
"Located on the heralded Camino de Santiago de Compostela, we believe that this architectural fusion of gastronomy and technology, city and landscape, building and park has the potential to become a destination in its own right for culinary pilgrims from around the world," Ingels noted, highlighting the project's potential to attract international visitors interested in both architecture and gastronomy.
This project represents part of a broader architectural development in San Sebastián's culinary landscape. Spanish architecture studio Vaumm previously created a five-story golden building to serve as headquarters for the Basque Culinary Centre, establishing the area as a significant center for gastronomic innovation and education.
BIG's portfolio includes other notable recent projects such as a mass-timber student center in Maryland and an expansive landscraper in London designed in collaboration with Thomas Heatherwick for Google, demonstrating the firm's continued innovation in sustainable and landscape-integrated architecture.
