Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Santiago Calatrava's Museu do Amanhã

The Museu do Amanhã ("Tomorrow's Museum"), conceived by the great Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, will have long and audacious forms made of concrete, glass and steel, and will occupy the Mauá Square Pier, in Rio, in 2012. The museum is part of the Projeto Porto Maravilha (Wonderful Port Project), which the main object is to revitalize all the port area. It will be focused on science and technology in order to make people think about the future in a more conscious and engaged way. The building will have 12, 5 thousand meters distributed in two floors linked by ramps. The total cost of the project, a partnership between the Roberto Marinho Foundation and the City Hall, is R$ 130 million and the construction will “float” above the huge water mirror, surrounded by many green areas. Calatrava was inspired by the nature’s forms, having the sustainability as the key-word in its conception. The ceiling will move according to the sun’s position in order to captivate the solar energy to transform it in electricity, and the water from Guanabara Bay will be used to refrigerate the building. Calatrava believes in the transformation power that architecture has in changing people’s lives and self-esteem. Because of this, he prefers projecting public museums, bridges, airports, train stations instead of working in private projects.

O Museu do Amanhã, concebido pelo grande arquiteto espanhol, Santiago Calatrava, tem formas longas e audaciosas feitas de concreto, aço e vidro, e vai ocupar o Pier da Praça Mauá, em 2012. O museu faz parte do Projeto Porto Maravilha, cujo principal objetivo é revitalizar a área portuária. Ele terá como foco a ciência e a tecnologia, fazendo com que as pessoas pensem no futuro de uma maneira mais consciente e engajada. O edifício terá 12,5 mil metros divididos em dois andares interligados por rampas. O custo total do projeto, uma parceria entre a Fundação Roberto Marinho e a Prefeitura do Rio, será de R$ 130 milhões. A construção vai flutuar sobre o espelho d’água e será cercado por muitas áreas verdes. Calatrava se inspirou nas formas da natureza, tendo a sustentabilidade como a palavra-chave na sua concepção. O teto se moverá de acordo com a posição do sol, captando, assim, a sua energia para transformá-la em eletricidade. A água da Baía de Guanabara será utilizada para a refrigeração do museu. Calatrava acredita no poder transformador que a arquitetura tem no bem-estar e na auto-estima das pessoas. Por isso, ele prefere projetar grandes obras públicas como museus, ponte, aeroportos, estações de trem, ao invés de trabalhar em projetos particulares.

4 comments:

robert said...

You have a wonderful city! Thinking about future and creating a project like the one described above, all these mean that you have a wonderfull people too.

Johnny Madrid aka Tim E. said...

Hey there! I haven't forgotten about you at all! :) It's just really crazy at the moment.

Ah, it's good reading you posts again and seeing those wonderful pics! I hope to be up and running again...very soon! As always keep up the good work! I've posted a little something on my blogs explaining a little bit!

Keep up the good work! Oh, and I simply love your facebook pic ;)

Vania Moreira said...

Hi Robert! Thanks again! But you know, for the first time in years we have a good mayor and also a good governor, they are friends, young and have been working together!!!

Vania Moreira said...

Hi Tim, welcome back after so long absence!!!
Thanks for your kind words! I’m going to visit your blog as well!
I also loved the pics of Calatrava’s constructions, in my opinion he is a genius!
And thanks for noticing my new facebook pic!