The Museu do Amanhã, or Museum of Tomorrow, opened Friday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Designed by architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, the museum most notably has a large skeletal roof that juts off of each side of the structure. A 75-meter overhang extends over the plaza that wraps around the building, and a 45-meter extension elevates above Guanabara Bay. The wings, combined with a reflection pool that surrounds the building, make it look like the building is floating.
"The idea is that the building feels ethereal, almost floating on the sea, like a ship, a bird, or a plant,” Calatrava said in a statement. “Because of the changing nature of the exhibits, we have introduced an archetypal structure inside the building. This simplicity allows for the functional versatility of the Museum, able to accommodate conferences or act as a research space.”
The museum has 5,000 sm of exhibition space and a 7,000-sm plaza. The lower level contains offices, educational and research facilities, and an auditorium, along with a museum store, a restaurant, lobby, archives, and storage. Permanent exhibitions are housed upstairs.
As the name implies, the museum addresses issues that affect the future of humanity, including topics like population growth, climate change, and the distribution of wealth. Fittingly, it carries over some of the themes of sustainable design into its structure. Adjustable PV panels can be positioned for optimal sunlight throughout the day, and water from the bay regulates the building’s interior temperature and provides water for the reflecting pools.
The goal is for the museum to revitalize its neighborhood, Porto Maravilha. Museu do Amanhã "is the result of a consistent dialogue,” Calatrava said. “The building was built to be a museum for the future, and an educational unit."
Related Stories
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
| Jun 13, 2014
First look: BIG's spiraling museum for watchmaker Audemars Piguet
The glass-and-steel pavilion's spiral structure acts as a storytelling device for the company's history.
| Jun 12, 2014
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' design selected for new UCSC facility
The planned site is a natural landscape among redwood trees with views over Monterey Bay, a site that the architects have called “one of the most beautiful they have ever worked on.”
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 11, 2014
David Adjaye’s housing project in Sugar Hill nears completion
A new development in New York's historic Sugar Hill district nears completion, designed to be an icon for the neighborhood's rich history.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
| Jun 9, 2014
Eli Broad museum files $19.8 million lawsuit over delays
The museum, meant to hold Eli and Edythe Borad's collection of contemporary art, is suing the German company Seele for what the museum describes as delays in the creation of building blocks for its façade.
| Jun 4, 2014
Want to design a Guggenheim? Foundation launches open competition for proposed Helsinki museum
This is the first time the Guggenheim Foundation has sought a design through an open competition. Anonymous submissions for stage one of the competition are due September 10, 2014.
| May 29, 2014
7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient
Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.
