Auditorio de Tenerife
See the full list of Unusual buildings of the week here.
The Auditorio de Tenerife (Tenerife Auditorium) is an arts venue on the seafront in the southern part of Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
It was designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava in the expressionist style, and has been celebrated as the finest late-modernist building in the Canary Islands.
The concrete building is characterised by its dramatic arch roof which sweeps up from the base to a height of 58 m and curves over the main auditorium like a crashing wave. Being supported by only two points with the narrowed tip appearing to be suspended, it was the first arch of its kind in the world.
The precast concrete ribbed roof of the main auditorium is constructed from two intersecting cone segments. An approximately 15-degree wedge is missing from the centre, providing the two segments with the appearance of a pronounced ridge.
Since it was completed in 2003, the building has become an architectural symbol of both Tenerife and the Canary Islands.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
New and updated CLC building safety guidance.
New UK National Buildings Database.
Building Safety Wiki Interviews
Chief executive of the British Woodworking Federation.
Planning condition discharge in England and Wales
A brief explanation from a building compliance expert, with further links.
Overheating guidance and tools for building designers
Guidance for dealing with element of building fabric control that have increasing importance.
Shading for housing, a design guide
From the Good Homes Alliance and British Blind and Shutter Association.
UK Standard Skills Classification (SSC)
A shared framework for describing skills needs.
Social media ban consultation comes to close
CIOB urges UK Government to consider social media’s role in careers guidance in ban debate.
The latest of eight Skills England apprenticeship units
The addition of battery manufacturing welcomed by ECA with a warning about the risks of fast-tracked apprenticeship units.
Building Control Independent Panel final report
A precis of a key report led by Dame Hackitt with full recommendations and link to the government response.
Building Safety recap April, 2026
A short and longer run-through of the month, with links to further information and sources.



















Comments
I first saw this on a "How did they build that" programme on the Smithsonian channel and was excited to see it "in person" when we docked at Santa Cruz de Tenerife - amazing building!