Museum of Contemporary Art, MAC-Panama

Given that MAC–Panama will be significantly lower than the corporate buildings surrounding the site, it is essential to conceive a museum with a distinctive silhouette—a contemporary building that asserts itself clearly and decisively within the urban context. Its organization is that of a vertical museum, an inverted pyramid articulated by a large atrium that serves as the heart of the whole. Stairs, bridges, and walkways interweave across different levels, allowing natural light to descend deep into the building and visually connect every part of the program.

The site offers a particular condition: a preexisting six‑meter‑deep excavation and mat foundation. We chose to turn these traces of real‑estate over‑speculation in Panama into an opportunity, giving rise to the sunken garden—an exuberant tropical space that functions as a microclimate, a meeting point, a threshold, and a respite in the city. Together with a series of plazas and pedestrian connections, this garden transforms the plot into a permeable urban fabric, active at different times of day and in direct dialogue with the neighborhood.

Environmentally, the building prioritizes low‑energy solutions developed with Transsolar; most notably, a cascade‑air system that uses dehumidified air from the galleries to condition the atrium and other spaces. Taken as a whole, the project aims to be more than a museum: a living piece of the urban fabric, a place for gathering, learning, and lingering—an open, multifaceted architecture deeply connected to the urban energy of Panama City.