Museum of Tomorrow

The Museum of Tomorrow is a science museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It stands on Pier Mauá by the waterfront in the old port area. It was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who likes futuristic shapes, and it opened on 17 December 2015.

The building stretches about 335 meters along the pier, and its white roof reaches out 75 meters over the plaza. The roof carries movable solar wings that turn to follow the sun. The museum aims to strengthen the cultural identity of Rio and to show visitors how to think about sustainable cities and a healthy planet.

What is inside?

The main exhibition takes visitors through five areas: Cosmos, Earth, Anthropocene, Tomorrow and Us. Along the way, there are experiments and experiences that mix science with creative design. The Anthropocene section is about the age in which human beings affect the planet. The museum focuses on sustainable cities and an ecological world. It was supported by the Roberto Marinho Foundation and cost about 230 million reais.

Why does the roof move?

The roof is covered with solar panels, and the wings that stick out from it can change angle during the day to face the sun. This helps make power from sunlight, in the same spirit as the exhibitions. The museum was part of the renewal of the port area before the 2016 Summer Olympics, and it was presented as an icon of that reurbanization. Next to it is the aquarium AquaRio.

On the globe

The model shows a long white building with a swooping roof and solar wings along the pier. Look for the wing-like fins on the roof.