The new Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT), designed by British architecture firm AL_A, is entering the final phases of construction along Lisbon’s waterfront.
Designed as a new landmark for the city and Portugal, the museum will cross the disciplines of art, architecture and technology with a cultural programme masterminded by Pedro Gadanho, the former curator of architecture and design exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The building is a fluid, curvy low-rise structure with glazed facade that reflects the shimmering waves of the River Tagus, which flows adjacent to the site. Museum gardens stretch to the water’s edge, creating a new area of public realm for the city.
Parts of MAAT are set within the shell of an early 20th-century power plant, and the museum will be operated by the EDP Foundation – a non-profit organisation dedicated to studying issues related to energy, the environment, culture and social development.
The museum – which is expected to open in Q3 2016 – will have almost 3,000sq m (32,200sq ft) of exhibition space and a restaurant within the foundation's 38,000sq m (409,000sq ft) campus.
"MAAT will focus on culture through a combination of visual arts and media, architecture and city, technology and science and society and thought," said the foundation in a statement.
"With its unique heritage, an expanding Portuguese art collection and an innovative exhibition programme, the new museum will be a site for discovery, critical thinking and international dialogue."
