A landmark in the city of León

This auditorium, by Madrid architects Luis Moreno Mansilla and Emilio Muñón, is one of the symbols of the city's urban renovation, together with the Contemporary Art Museum designed by the same architects and also built by FCC.

The building's orientation toward the neighbouring Plaza de San Marcos and the Plateresque hostel nearby does homage to the history of León, reflected also in the use of large pieces of travertine marble on the building's outer walls to echo the city's Roman origin. The auditorium is a discrete building that is careful not to overwhelm the surrounding buildings, especially the old monastery where Quevedo was imprisoned.

The building, which has 9,000 m2 of floor space, has got three above-ground storeys and is split into two volumes that are clearly differentiated from one another in terms of form and functions. The main volume, which is more austere and discrete, holds the concert hall, which seats 1,200 people and has a bifocal design that makes it possible to adapt the venue into different shapes, depending on the type of performance to be given. The symphony hall is fully panelled in wood and quite striking. The second space is more open and cheerful. It holds the exhibit hall. It is a slender, vertical prism with an unmistakable, extremely expressive Cubist façade full of windows.

The León Auditorium has won numerous awards and much recognition, foremost of which was the 2003 Spanish Architecture Award given by the Senior Council of the College of Architects of Spain.