News

The international architecture community is abuzz with news that Panama will host a competition to choose a designer for a new home for the Museum of Contemporary Art of Panama (MAC Panama).

The new museum will be built on a 3,801-square-meter site in Punta Pacifica, which will add an important new cultural icon to Panama City’s most vibrant neighborhood. 

The museum will represent “a turning point in the history of the museum and in the consolidation of Panama as a cultural benchmark in Latin America,” according to the museum’s request for proposals. It will also join the Frank Gehry Biomuseo in establishing Panama City as a cultural and design destination on a global level.

The 4,671m² museum will have a $20 million construction budget, according to details shared on the Architects’ Journal site.The completed museum will also include1,000m² of commercial spaces and an 82-capacity car park. The site was “formerly earmarked for a shelved high-rise development and already features foundations,” the magazine reports..

MAC Panama was founded in 1962 and has developed into a key player in the development of Panamanian art. It has hosted more than 800 exhibitions featuring Panamanian and international artists. It has also amassed a collection of 1,200 works which need a new home. It also hosts the Panama Art Biennials, and organizes public events and educational programs for children, as well as providing opportunities for art training.

There will be a two-stage competition to choose the design. The selection process will be led by an international jury with “recognized experience in architecture, art, and museum design,” the museum said. 

“Proposals must promote sustainability and respond to Panama City’s tropical climate while also fostering public art engagement,” according to the museum.

The museum expects to announce the results on May 25.