MAC Panama is a project for the new building of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Panama, conceived not as a closed “container” for art, but as an open urban platform. At the centre of the composition is a multifunctional courtyard around which exhibition, educational, public and administrative spaces are gathered. It functions as an extension of the city: everyday meetings, open exhibitions, lectures and performances are possible here.

The volume is formed as a system of functional blocks linked by vertical routes and a shared internal space. A special role is played by the “fifth façade” — a lightweight roof structure that protects the building from direct sunlight and supports natural ventilation in the hot and humid climate of Panama. Semi-transparent and perforated façades soften the boundary between the museum and the street, turning MAC into an accessible, living and changing space. This is not only a place for the display of art, but also a new public infrastructure of the city.