Auditorium and Conference Centre Kursaal is located in Saint Sebastian, a port city of the Basque region in the northern part of Spain. The beautiful summer resort city of the former royal family, this town faces the Atlantic and is known as The Pearl of Vizcaya Bay. The old quarter along the shoreline evokes a sense of history, and it attracts many visitors in summer.

Architect Rafael Moneo, describing this architecture, notes, "the auditorium and meeting center are two distinct structures, autonomous in scale, as if two giant boulders had washed up on shore". Indeed, viewed during the daytime, these massive bluish-grey structures do resemble boulders. However, at night, the dazzling light radiating from inside the hall makes it sparkle just like a jewel.

The name Kursaal is derived from the German name of the bustling casino hall that was constructed in 1922, as part of a hot spring resort. This casino was demolished in 1973, and the resulting vacant lot was to be redeveloped. In 1989 a design contest was held, and after much heated controversy, Moneo was finally chosen, over such rivals as Mario Botta, Arata Isozaki and Lord Norman Foster.
Afterwards, disputes arose concerning the building design, so that by the time ground was broken on the new building, 5 years had passed since the results of the design competition were announced in 1990. Over the next 4 years, there were also several problems that arose during the actual construction phase.
However, after its completion in 1999, this structure did more than provide a much needed convention and meeting facility for the summer resort town of San Sebastian, hosting an array of cultural events; it also enhanced the value of the town's splendid scenery.