The large entrance atrium of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is officially called the Atrium.
The Atrium is the building's central organizing space. Designed by Frank Gehry, it rises through the museum and connects galleries, circulation routes, and major architectural views. Its tall volume is filled with changing light, complex curves, and exposed structural elements.
The space became one of the most recognizable interior features of the Bilbao museum after its opening in 1997. It contrasts with the more controlled gallery rooms, which are designed for exhibiting paintings, sculpture, and installations.
Visitors sometimes call the space a rotunda because the New York Guggenheim has a famous circular ramp and rotunda-like interior. Bilbao's central hall is not that spiral exhibition ramp; its standard name is the Atrium.