SUSTAINABLE DINING PLEASURE.

A culinary treasure that also shows excellent taste in terms of its heating system is located right in the middle of the stormy Bay of Biscay, surrounded by a rugged hilly landscape where hardy old vines defy the harsh weather of the Atlantic coast.

The simple project name “Restaurante 3 estrellas Michelin” actually stands for nothing less than the second best restaurant in the world! This high-end restaurant, which was given this honour by the “Elite Traveler” lifestyle magazine, is the only one in this province in northern Spain that can boast three Michelin stars.

The most important secret ingredient in the recipe for success of this restaurant is that it was designed and built with a philosophy of sustainability very much to the fore. Subtle expertise, a feel for details and tasteful design are all evident here outside of the restaurant’s core culinary arts too. This unique building reflects the Basque way of life and was designed to be as sustainable as possible. All of the rooms in the restaurant flow openly into one another so as to give visitors a sense of communion with the surrounding environment. Large glass facades create a direct visual connection with the landscape. Strong winds, heavy rainfall and rapid tempera-ture fluctuations are not uncommon on the Atlantic coast. An exceptional heating solution was required in order to ensure pleasant indoor temperatures at all times under these conditions.

For this reason, the ambience depends on the cosy effect of a VarioComp floor heating system, which was installed in a considerable floor area of 630 m². The energy for this very economical and, at the same time, very powerful low-temperature system comes from the on-site geothermal heat pump system and from solar collectors. In addition to a sophisticated waste-recycling management system, rainwater is also collected and used for certain purposes in the building. A charging station for electric cars is of course also available.