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Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology

AL_A, Lisbon, 2017

 

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The curved facade 

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  • The curved facade    
  • The building connects the historic riverfront back to to the city    
  • The building is elliptical in plan    
  • A curved ramp wraps around the building    
  • An outdoor public space has been created    
  • The building has an all-white, glossy interior    
  • The first installation was by French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foester    
  • The ceiling is raw and industrial    
  • Tiling is prominent throughout    
  • Level 0 plan    
  • Level 1 plan    
  • Section AA    
  • South elevation    

Amanda Levete’s Kunsthalle at the MAAT provides four new galleries while attempting to stitch together a tricky site.

AL_A’s gallery sits at the edge of the River Tagus, its curvaceous tile-clad façade reflecting the water. The brief was for ‘a building that should not be boring’, says the client.

The 38,000m2 site is a tricky one. One of Lisbon’s main highways and a railway line run past it, dividing it from the historic city. The building doesn’t rely on height for impact – it is low-slung and, viewed from the river, similar in shape to an eyelid. Conceived as a piece of landscape and public realm as well as an art space, visitors are invited to walk over, under and through the building. 

A 1,200m2 main exhibition space can accommodate huge, immersive art pieces. It is elliptical in plan and a curved ramp wraps around it, conducting the visitor on a slow walk down from entrance lobby to lower level. 

Data

  • Begun: Jun 2014
  • Completed: Mar 2017
  • Floor area: 7,400m2
  • Sector: Arts and culture
  • Total cost: £17.6M
  • Procurement: Traditional
  • CO2 Emissions: 10.3kg/m2/year
  • Address: Av. Brasília, Lisbon, 1300-598, Portugal

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