Lisbon’s MAAT – Architecture, Art & Tech

Lisbon’s MAAT – Museum of Architecture, Art and Technonlogy is the new artistic player in the Portuguese capital’s colourful, cultural landscape; conspicuous between the pink, yellow & blue tiled or painted houses that flow throughout Lisbon’s historical centre, MAAT rests on the Tagus waterfront in the Belem district, its undulating design the work of British architect Amanda Levete: “It’s as though you just drift into the building”.

MAAT’s curved, off-white structure with crackle-glazed ceramic tiling flows as part of a larger museum complex, sitting next to the Tejo Power Station, a prime example of Portuguese industrial architecture from the first half of the 20th century, and one of the most visited museums in the country.

In conjunction with the Tejo’s more unifom, structural, red-bricked exterior, MAAT’s architecture is ever more organic and fluid.

The thought behind MAAT was to create a public space that combines the three fields of art, architecture and technology, where there is room for debate, discovery, critical thinking and international dialogue. Representing national and international artists, architects and thinkers, MAAT undeniably brings new energy to Lisbon’s cultural landscape and is a must-see on any Lisboa stop-off.

The museum’s low but 190-metre long design is also part of the unique architectural vision – one that sees MAAT’s pedestrian bridge connect the waterfront and its new museum hub of culture to the city, leaving unobstructed views both in ways.