Frank Gehry’s Biomuseum Erected in Panama

Tags: Environment, Latin America, Modern Architecture, Museums

Frank Gehry is making his first contribution to Latin America with the BioMuseo, a future hub of knowledge to reflect the history and biodiversity of Panama.

Titled “The Bridge of Life” in reference to the Isthmus of Panama on which it is constructed, it aims to raise awareness of the country’s rich heritage and the importance of its preservation.

True to Gehry’s style, the final work will be a “riot of color and form” that will enlighten visitors on the environmental significance of Panama:

• 14-meter-high rock formations to simulate the geological foundations that formed the Isthmus over 3 million years ago
• A massive window mural to visualize Earth’s biodiversity
• Animal sculptures dispersed throughout to share the story of migrations that occurred between North and South America
• 2 aquaria to serve to explain the phenomenon of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans splitting into their current states

Many are hoping that his structure will draw crowds to Panama, similar to the way his Guggenheim Museum did to Bilbao, Spain in an urban renewal project that is now referred to as the “Bilbao Effect.”

[via ArtDaily.org]

Photo courtesy of Art Daily.org