“El Ático” was developed for the international competition for the new Museum of Contemporary Art of Panama (MAC), which gathered 363 proposals from 56 countries.

The project is conceived not as an autonomous object, but as a compositional system that produces urban space. Two independent volumes—one grounded, one elevated—define a shaded civic plaza, an urban threshold, and the exhibition spaces above. This stratification organizes the museum as a sequence from the public and collective to the controlled and contemplative.

The proposal responds directly to the site’s fragmented context—Boca La Caja, institutional campuses, and large-scale commercial developments—by establishing a new civic locus. The ground level is entirely opened and programmed as a covered public plaza (“Atrio Arte”), conceived as the primary architectural element rather than residual space.

Above, the exhibition wing (“El Ático”) is configured as a column-free, naturally lit volume with indirect zenithal light, meeting international museum standards. The intermediate levels accommodate education, workshops, and administration, maintaining continuous visual and spatial relationships with the plaza.

Environmental performance is embedded in the form: deep overhangs, cross-ventilation through a Venturi effect, and controlled daylight reduce dependence on mechanical systems. The reuse of the existing foundation slab constitutes a primary economic and environmental strategy.

The project prioritizes civic continuity, climatic intelligence, and spatial clarity over iconic form.

International Competition. Phase 1 of 2