El Batel Auditorium and Congress Center
Cartagena, Spain

SelgasCano Architects

The El Batel Auditorium and Congress Center, affectionately known as "El B," stands as a captivating and somewhat enigmatic presence on the Cartagena Harbour waterfront in Spain. Designed by the acclaimed Spanish firm SelgasCano (José Selgas and Lucía Cano), completed in 2011, this elongated structure defies traditional notions of monumental public architecture, opting instead for a playful, translucent, and deeply contextual approach.

El Batel's most striking characteristic is its façade, a shimmering, translucent skin composed primarily of corrugated polycarbonate and V-shaped acrylic profiles. This material choice is a hallmark of SelgasCano's work, allowing for a lightweight, cost-effective, and visually dynamic exterior that interacts with light in fascinating ways. Fluorescent pigments embedded within the plastic create subtle striations and unexpected color shifts, giving the building an ethereal, almost aquatic glow, especially at night. This choice is a deliberate contrast to the typically robust and orthogonal nature of a working port.