Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), Brazil
Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), designed by Santiago Calatrava, is located in the burgeoning Puerto Maravilha neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Respecting and complementing the neighboring historic landmarks, the Museum envelope is limited to a height of 18 m above the pier level. The building features large overhangs 75 meters in length on the side facing the square and 45 meters in length on the side facing the sea. The museum was inaugurated in December 2015. On its first weekend open it received more than 25.400 visitors.
The cantilevering roof with its large mobile wings and the facade structure expand almost the full length of the pier emphasizing the extension into the Guanabara Bay. A reflection pool surrounding the building on the outside—used to filter water that is being pumped from the bay and released back in from the end of the pier— gives visitors the impression that the museum is floating.
The building will operate by making use of the natural resources from the site itself; water from the nearby bay for air-conditioning the inside temperature, as well as solar energy collected through photovoltaic panels, integrated into the operable wing elements of the roof, that can dynamically adjust to the optimum angle of the sun.
The Museum includes 5,000 square meters of temporary and permanent exhibition space, as well as a 7,600 square meter plaza that wraps around the structure and extends along the dock. The permanent exhibition is housed upstairs, and features a roof 10 meters high with panoramic views of Guanabara Bay. The lower level contains functional and technical rooms, such as the museum's administrative offices, educational facilities, research space, an auditorium, a museum store, a restaurant, lobby, archives, storage and a gift shop.
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