Centro De Arte Moderna Gulbenkian / Kengo Kuma & Associates + OODA + VDLA

Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates, OODA, VDLA
Year: 2024
Photographs: Fernando Guerra, Joanna Correia, Fernando Lemos
Structural Engineering: Buro Happold, QUADRANTE
Director: Benjamin Weil
Deputy Director: Ana Botella
Principal in Charge: Kengo Kuma
Architects: Oporto Office for Design and Architecture
Landscape Architect: Vladimir Djurovic
Landscape: Traços na Paisagem – Lugar Invisível
City: Lisbon
Country: Portugal

CAM – Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, redesigned by Kengo Kuma, reopens on September 21, 2024, as his first project in Portugal. Originally designed by Sir Leslie Martin and opened in 1983, it houses nearly 12,000 artworks, including works by Portuguese artists like Paula Rego and international figures like Robert Delaunay. Located in Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Foundation’s woodland campus, the redesign introduces a 100-meter ceramic tile canopy inspired by the Japanese Engawa, creating seamless connections between the building, gardens, and city. Landscape designer Vladimir Djurovic expanded the gardens into a dense urban forest, emphasizing harmony between architecture and nature. Kuma describes the transformation as fostering softness, transition, and a fluid connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. The reopening features exhibitions, live events, and a refreshed visual identity inspired by organic and sheltering forms.

“Some houses that I saw in the desert are made of weaves and fabric… those houses gave me a hint about the future of architecture.”
Interview with Kengo Kuma of Kengo Kuma and Associates

Centro de arte moderna gulbenkian / kengo kuma & associates + ooda + vdla

The CAM-Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian is set to reopen to the public on 21st September 2024 after undergoing an extensive reimagining led by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, marking his first completed project in Portugal. Originally conceived by British architect Sir Leslie Martin, the building first opened in 1983 to showcase one of the world’s most significant collections of modern and contemporary Portuguese art.

Currently undergoing a major transformation, CAM is situated within the lush grounds of Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Foundation, a multidisciplinary campus featuring iconic 1960s buildings surrounded by an 18-acre woodland, a legacy of collector and philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian (1869–1955). Highlights of the reopening include a major exhibition featuring an installation by Berlin-based Portuguese artist Leonor Antunes, presented alongside works by women artists from CAM’s Collection, and two days of free live arts events open to the public.

CAM will continue to showcase a substantial open collection of nearly 12,000 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, installations, drawings, prints, photographs, and films by prominent Portuguese artists such as Helena Almeida, Paula Rego, and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva. The collection also features significant works by international and British artists, including Robert Delaunay, David Hockney, and Bridget Riley, among others. By bridging modern and contemporary art, CAM aims to explore and reinterpret segments of its vast collection through diverse perspectives.

In CAM’s latest iteration, Kengo Kuma’s contemporary redesign establishes a seamless connection between the building, the surrounding gardens, and the city.

The architecture and interiors of CAM, conceived by Kengo Kuma Associates, are defined by a 100-meter-long sweeping canopy made from Portuguese ceramic tiles. Kuma’s redesign takes inspiration from the Engawa, a traditional Japanese sheltered walkway that blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. This typology integrates the building with the Gulbenkian Foundation’s surrounding gardens, reflecting Kuma’s vision for “soft and humane architecture” while reinforcing CAM’s goal of fostering stronger connections with the garden and city. A new entrance enhances access, and the gardens have been expanded into a lush urban forest designed by Vladimir Djurovic. To complement this transformation, design studio A Practice for Everyday Life created a new visual identity inspired by the Engawa’s organic forms and the building’s sheltering design.

Architect Kengo Kuma expressed his vision for CAM, stating: “Our approach crafts a seamless fusion where architecture and nature converse harmoniously. Drawing inspiration from the essence of the Engawa, we introduce a new outdoor narrative, encouraging visitors to slow down and make the space their own. This concept of softness and transition extends to the CAM interior, where we created new spaces through subtraction, echoing the building’s connection to the garden and exterior light.”