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Last update: 31/03/2023
Santander buildings and corporate offices around the world embody our values. Refurbishing two of the most emblematic buildings in Santander, Spain — Pereda (newly christened “Faro Santander”) and Hernán Cortés — is part of our purpose. We’re bringing a modern space for culture, leisure and technology to the people of Cantabria, Spain.
The past, present and future converge at the historic Pereda building in the city of Santander. Now it’s getting a new name, announced today: Faro Santander. After two years of refurbishment, which included reinforcing its facade, work at the Pereda building (which dates from 1795 and is the bank’s headquarters) are ready for the next phase: construction of interior floors and rooms that will make Faro Santander a major public centre for the arts, innovation, entrepreneurship and leisure.
This building is the greatest witness of our history as a bank, from what we were to what we are now. Today, Faro Santander will be a place where the past and the future join hands.
Before refurbishment began, Ana Botín had already announced the significance of such a big project. “Santander’s challenge, as a 21st-century bank, is to remain at the forefront of banking in the future. Our headquarters should reflect this: our capability to innovate and move with the times, our focus on people – but also our history and our roots both locally and globally”. At the Faro Santander presentation, the Executive Chair pointed out, “the city of Santander is our place of origin, and that connection will never be severed. Santander’s challenge is to remain at the forefront of banking in the future, and this is a new beginning on solid foundations”.
As part of our commitment to the environment and the fight against climate change, sustainability and energy efficiency were top of the agenda when designing the buildings on Paseo de Pereda and on calle Hernán Cortés, which dates from 1900. Their structure and intended use are deemed “excellent” for their low environmental impact, according to their global BREEAM sustainability certification.
Headquarters are cultural monuments
When Faro Santander, the bank’s headquarters, opens to the public, it will display over a thousand art pieces from the Group’s private collection, including works by El Greco, Rubens, Picasso and Miró as well as the best Gutiérrez Solana collection in the world. It will also house temporary exhibitions arranged through agreements with private collectors in the countries where the bank operates and with prestigious museums all over the globe.
And of course, art and technology will be at its heart. At Faro Santander, we also plan to run educational and cultural activities for all audiences and allow visitors to enjoy art in a variety of settings.
Remodelling by exceptional architects
This project is being run by top-level architects. In charge of refurbishing the Pereda building is the renowned David Chipperfield, who is best known for enlarging the Royal Academy in London and remodelling Museum Island in Berlin.
Our building on calle Hernán Cortés is being transformed by acclaimed architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz, whose studio restored the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, redesigned the train stations of Basel and Seville, and designed the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.
Our headquarters symbolizes a modern, innovative bank, committed to transformation, and we want our buildings to reflect both the bank we are and the one we will become.
