The new home for Brazil’s 50-year-old Museum of Image and Sound (MIS) is entering the final stages of its development, with the Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed (DS+R) building taking shape on Rio’s beachfront.

Opened in 1965, MIS offers a vast archive of photographs, film, documents and sound recordings reflecting the cultural history of Rio. In 2009, DS+F were selected from a number of world-class architects, beating the likes of Daniel Libeskind and Shigeru Ban, to design the museum’s new home.

Set over 9,800sq m (106,000sq ft), MIS overlooks the famous Copacabana Beach on Rio’s seafront. The museum will offer a “vertical boulevard”, which leads up to eight floors of galleries telling the story of image and sound in Brazil.

Within MIS, space for permanent and temporary exhibitions has been allocated, with research facilities, educational spaces, a café, panoramic restaurant and an open-air 280-seat auditorium also planned. Once open, the building will be topped off by a rooftop terrace.

Separate from the main construction, a beachfront kiosk is also included in the development. In addition to acting as a museum, the new building will also become a cultural centre for Rio, with MIS producing and promoting regular shows and events.

The museum’s opening – originally scheduled for 2014 – has been pushed back several times due to a variety of factors. During the construction of the foundation, there were problems due to the nature of the sandy terrain, which meant the project had to be adjusted due to the soil conditions. During the third stage of the construction process – which consists of the finishings, installations and frames – a new procurement process had to be conducted, after a contract with the building company responsible for MIS was rescinded. The museum is currently set to open before the end of 2018.

The museum is partly-funded by the government and the Roberto Marinho Foundation. According to DS+R, its unique design was inspired by Brazilian artist and landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, famous for his undulating wave mosaics that run along the Avenída Atlântica boardwalk at Copacabana Beach.

“The new building will become a new icon in Rio’s cultural scene,” said MIS.

“The building project is moving forward and will be entering its final stage of construction.

“Soon you will meet a museum of dialogues in the form of songs, images and stories from artists who made the Carioca way of life – an experience of enchantment for the eyes and joy for the ears.”

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