Hotel María Cristina

San Sebastián, Spain

Photo © Eric Cuvillier

Lighting Designers: BMLD

Location: San Sebastián, Spain
Year: 2012

After its opening in 1912, the impressive building designed by French architect Charles Mewes has been expanded and renovated several times, most recently in 2012 . the restoration has comprised the entire building, letting it be up to date in aesthetics and technologically.

Now that the first century of life has been met and a new era begins our challenge has been to maintain the essence of the golden age and all the glamor of the Belle Époque in the heart of San Sebastian while providing the state of the art technology.

The lighting of this unique building is based on concepts of sustainability, efficiency and comfort. The premise of the design has been developed to update a symbolic building by incorporating the latest technologies, highlighting features of the period and safeguarding the original architecture.

To develop the project we faced numerous constraints. Being under the heritage building protection, both in its exterior and its interior spaces as well as most of the public spaces, the lighting could not be integrated into walls, floors or ceilings.

This was resolved by carefully updating existing decorative fixtures and adding emphasis to new furniture - made - to-measure or existing, as exemplified by the new shelves in public areas or reception furniture, reform and overhaul of the original furniture.