CAM-Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian will reopen to the public on 21st September 2024 following an extensive reimagining led by  Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, marking the architect’s first completed project in Portugal. CAM is nestled within the verdant grounds of Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Foundation, a multi-disciplinary campus comprised of iconic 1960’s buildings immersed in an 18-acre woodland, the legacy of the prolific collector and philanthropist, Calouste Gulbenkian (1869 - 1955).

Highlights of the opening programme include a major exhibition featuring an installation by Berlin-based, Portuguese artist Leonor Antunes presented alongside a selection of works by women artists from CAM’s Collection, as well as two days of live arts events free for the public to attend.

Conceived by British architect Leslie Martin, the original building opened in 1983 to house one of the world’s most significant collections of modern and contemporary Portuguese art. 

Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates has conceived the architecture and interiors. Kuma proposed the introduction of a canopy inspired by the Japanese engawa, creating a new transition space between CAM Gulbenkian and the park beyond creating a new centrality for the existing building.

Defined by a free-standing canopy structure is approximately 107m long by 15m wide and consists of a gently curved rigid plate supported by two rows of columns. This sweeping canopy is composed of ceramic tiles made in Portugal.

The building’s redesign by Kuma draws from the Engawa, a sheltered walkway typical of Japanese dwellings, considered neither totally inside nor outside. Incorporating this typology, the architecture has been integrated into the surrounding gardens of the Gulbenkian Foundation – a nod to Kuma’s vision for ‘soft and humane architecture’ and in response to CAM’s commitment to establish a greater connection between the building, the garden and the city.

Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian by KKAA. Photograph by Fernando Guerra.  Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian por KKAA. Fotografía por Fernando Guerra.

Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian by KKAA. Fotografía por Fernando Guerra.

Accessed through a new entrance, the gardens have been extended to create a fluid and dense urban forest conceived by landscape designer Vladimir Djurovic. For CAM’s next chapter, design studio A Practice for Everyday Life has developed its new visual identity, inspired by the organic lines and sheltering nature of the Engawa and the building.

Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian by KKAA. Photograph by Fernando Guerra

Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian by KKAA. Fotografía por Fernando Guerra.

Project description by Kengo Kuma

Our goal here was not to create a singular piece of architecture but to craft an environment. The art museum of the future will likely embody this—a seamless space where art and people exist in harmony.

We felt no greater joy than experiencing art while a gentle breeze danced through the greenery. The Gulbenkian will surely become a model for such a future museum.

In Japan, there is a space between the garden and the building called "ENGAWA." It's one of the most cherished aspects of Japanese architecture, offering a rich, layered experience. It's more than just a threshold— a place where humans and nature meet, a space that revitalizes the spirit.

At the Gulbenkian, we have created an ENGAWA using wood and white ceramic tiles. These materials, wood and clay, have long been cherished for their role in connecting people to nature, and here were used as the main materials for the ENGAWA that unites the garden and the building.

Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian by KKAA. Photograph by Fernando Guerra.
Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian by KKAA. Photograph by Fernando Guerra.

Both the Portuguese and Japanese share a deep love for wood and tiles, using them to build their homes and cities. When you look up at this ENGAWA from below it resembles a wooden ship. Ships have long been essential vehicles in the histories of both Portugal and Japan.

While neither country is large, they are surrounded by long coastlines, and their people have always been closely tied to the sea. Ships carried them to fish, trade, and explore the wider world. Here, too, this large wooden ship will become a vessel, connecting people to the world. Through this ship, imaginations will be sparked, and dreams will expand beyond boundaries.

As a result, I believe many things will come together in this new museum. Not only does the garden seamlessly connect with the building, but new walls and gates forge a deeper connection between the museum and the city of Lisbon. And through the ENGAWA or ship, the museum reaches out—not just to the world, but to the universe beyond.

More information

Label
Architects
Text
Kengo Kuma and Associates. Lead architect.- Kengo Kuma. (Project Director: Andrea Toccolini, Partner in Charge: Rita Topa)
Associated Architects.- ODDA. (Partner in Charge: Julião Pinto Leite, Project Manager: Lourenço Rebelo de Andrade).
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Project team
Text

ODDA Team for CAM.- Diogo Brito, Rodrigo Vilas-Boas, Francisco Lencastre, Julião Pinto Leite, João Jesus, Lourenço Andrade, Luís Carlos, Antígona Pinto, André Veiga, Tomás Neves.

+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Collaborators
Text

Structural Engineering.- Buro Happold / Quadrante.
Landscape architect.- VDLA (Vladimir Djurovic Landscape Architecture) / Traços na Paisagem.
Visual Identity.- A Practice for Everyday Life, London.

+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Client
Text

Gulbenkian Foundation.

+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Area / Dimensions
Text

Site area.- 82,594m², including the new extension garden area of 7,515m².
Total floor area.- 17,174m², including the enclosed area of 15,350m² and the covered exterior floor area of 1,824m² (engawa, vestibule and portico).
The free-standing canopy structure is approximately 107m long by 15m wide and consists of a gently curved rigid plate supported by two rows of columns.
Number of tiles on the canopy.- 3,274. Size of each tile.- 90cmx90cm.

+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Dates
Text

Design.- from 2019 to 2021.
Construction.- from 2021 to 2024.

+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Location
Text

CAM - Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian. R. Marquês da Fronteira, 2, 1070-295 Lisboan, Portugal.

+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Photography
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.

Kengo Kuma was born in Yokohama (Kanagawa, Japan) in 1954. He studied architecture at the University of Tokyo, finishing his degree in 1979. In 1987, he opened the "Spatial Design Studio". In 1990 he founded "Kengo Kuma & Associates" and extended the study to Europe (Paris, France) in 2008. Since 1985 and until 2009, has taught as a visiting professor and holder at the universities of Columbia, Keio, Illinois and Tokyo.

Notable projects include Japan National Stadium (2019), V&A Dundee (2019), Odunpazari Modern Art Museum (2019), and The Suntory Museum of Art (2007).

Kengo Kuma proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature, technology, and human beings. His major publications include Zen Shigoto(The complete works, Daiwa S hobo)Ten Sen Men (“point, line, plane”, IwanamiShoten), Makeru Kenchiku (Architecture of Defeat, Iwanami Shoten), Shizen na Kenchiku(Natural Architecture, Iwanami Shinsho), Chii sana Kenchiku (Small Architecture, IwanamiShinsho) and many others.

Main Awards:

· 2011 The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for "Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum."
· 2010 Mainichi Art Award for “Nezu Museum.”
· 2009 "Decoration Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (France).
· 2008 Energy Performance + Architecture Award (France). Bois Magazine International Wood Architecture Award (France).
· 2002 Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award (Finland).
· 2001 Togo Murano Award for “Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum.”
· 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for “Noh Stage in the Forest”. First Place, AIA DuPONT Benedictus Award for “Water/Glass” (USA).

Read more

OODA was founded in 2010 by Diogo Brito, Rodrigo Vilas-Boas and Francisco Lencastre, and later expanded with the addition of João Jesus and Julião Pinto Leite. With offices in Porto and Lisbon, OODA is made up of a diverse team of over 50 architects of various nationalities, and stands out for its creative and analytical approach.

In its architectural practice, OODA challenges conventional processes to create projects that are highly tailored to context and program, covering a wide range of typologies, from single-family homes to large hotels, institutional buildings, museums and religious spaces, at scales ranging from master plans to interior design.

OODA’s work process is based on understanding the context of each project, guiding a design journey that begins and ends on-site, combining various references and formal languages. A variety of design research and development techniques are used, ranging from hand drawings to digital 3D models and physical mock-ups, supported by a mock-up workshop equipped with 3D printing and CNC technologies.

Collaboration is key at OODA. Its horizontal structure promotes open communication and joint problem solving, creating a dynamic and collaborative work environment, internationally recognized with several awards and publications.

 

 

Read more
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...