Tenerife Auditorium

Seafront concert hall by Santiago Calatrava, capped by a white concrete wing held up at only two points

The Auditorio de Tenerife, officially renamed Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín in 2011, is a performing arts centre on the seafront of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, beside the port. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, it was built between 1997 and 2003 and opened on 26 September 2003. It is home to the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, holds a 1,616-seat Symphony Hall and a 422-seat Chamber Hall, and its arched white roof has become a symbol of the city and of the Canary Islands.

Historical landmark

Entrance: No charge to walk around the outside and the plaza; performances need a ticket.
Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance, toilets and parking.
Parking: Underground car park in the building, with prepayment on arrival to skip the exit queue after a concert; a free open-air car park about 280 m away; free street parking nearby.
Difficulty: None to speak of: the building stands on the city seafront, about 290 m from the bus station, with a wheelchair-accessible entrance.
Transport: Intercambiador Santa Cruz bus station, about 290 m away; the tram also stops nearby.
Advance booking: Not needed to see the building from outside; for a performance, buy tickets ahead.
Hours: Monday to Friday 10:00–17:30, Saturday 10:00–14:00, closed Sunday. Performance times follow the programme.
Address: Av. la Constitución, 1, 38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

What makes it special

The wing is what stops people on the seafront. A single white arch sweeps up and over the main hall, resting on just two points, with its tip hanging free above the plaza; the arched roof is only 15 to 20 cm thick. Seen from the water, the whole silhouette recalls the Sydney Opera House.

Inside, the Symphony Hall seats 1,616 under a dome, with organ pipes rising on both sides of the pit, and the hall is laid out to surround the listener with sound. The Tenerife Symphony Orchestra plays here, and the Chamber Hall repeats the same amphitheatre shape at 422 seats.

The white skin is trencadís, a mosaic of broken tile, with coloured trencadís on the retaining walls of the plaza. Two terraces look out over the sea. After dark the building is lit bright white, and in other colours on special occasions.

Good to know

Seeing inside: guided tours take you into the halls, but a performance in the Symphony Hall shows the acoustics the building was designed around.
Parking after a show: prepay at the underground car park when you arrive, and you skip the exit queue once the concert ends.
Café: the lobby café has seating that looks out over the water.
Wear and tear: the trencadís tiles show visible damage and the interior has had damp problems; neither is structural.
Toilets: there are toilets inside, and a free public toilet about 30 m away.

Getting there

The auditorium stands on the seafront at the southern end of the port, next to the César Manrique Maritime Park (Parque Marítimo César Manrique) and the Castle of San Juan Bautista (Castillo de San Juan Bautista). The Intercambiador Santa Cruz bus station is about 290 m away, and the tram also stops nearby; the white arch is in view for most of the walk to the plaza.

Drivers can use the building's own underground car park. A free open-air car park lies about 280 m away, and there is free street parking in the area.

Best time to visit

Best: late afternoon through to dark. Avoid: midday in full sun, when the open plaza gives no shade and the white tile throws back a hard glare. The building looks its best in low light: the shell takes the sunset colour, and after dark it is floodlit bright white.

Sun & daylight

Castle

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Achbinico Cave