Santa Cruz de Tenerife Auditorium

An architectural and cultural landmark

Officially named after then Canarian president Adán Martín, this 2003 concert hall designed by renowned Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava is the home of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra. And true to form, Calatrava's dramatic futuristic design took the Canaries by storm, with its interplay of enormous swooping white geometric forms 50 metres (164 feet) high. The intention was to create a building with a unique sense of dynamism, and its suggestion of a wave crashing on a shore certainly does that in spades - also giving it a highly distinctive silhouette that can be seen from the entire area. The performance schedule isn't limited to symphonic music, but as one of the island's premier performance venues hosts a wide variety of shows.