A Museum for the Central American Art & Arts Center |Alejandro Cristiá Batista

Architecture, Students Week

Currently, there are several places for contemplation of universal art; however, it has put aside the Latin-American scene, highlighting only a few artists in the extremes: Mexico and South America. Even more, the Central American scene has been set aside to the point that there is not even a proper documentation of artists and works in this region.The conventional museums have turned into a place of nightmare for kids and young people. They normally just visit the museums when they are forced by their educational center. In addition, most of the Central American museums have born from modifications of old buildings, entirely unfit to host the cultural legacy they are trying to protect.Georgina DeCarli, in her book, A Sustainable Museum, points out that a good museum of our era is that which preserves the integral heritage: integrated museums which its themes, its collections and exhibitions are interrelated with each other and with the human environment, both natural and social.

If we promote the use of semi-open spaces, mixed use spaces for several and different activities focused to art, intensify the chances to develop a change of habit in people and especially young people.The project is located in Costa Rica, specifically in the strategic zone of San Rafael, Escazú. The investment, the constructive and commercial expansion, has gained it space to the social ones. This causes individuals younger no longer interested in the traditions and cultural activities, and to replace them by a visit to MultiPlaza or other shopping malls.

The Museum for the Central American Art (MUCCA for its acronym in Spanish) has: the museum side (exhibitions of painting, sculpture and others), classrooms and workshops for various kinds of arts, children’s area (interactive rooms), a place for temporary exhibition galleries, a cafe, concert hall and open-air theater, built in the park. This last serves as the large main lobby that directs people to the museum, from beautiful gardens and paths.Bridges, ramps and transparency reinforce the concept of continuity, visibility and the relationship between the different spaces.Josep Maria Montaner, in his book Museums for the XXI century, notes that the future of museum architecture, stand out those designs that, within a consolidated urban space, is imposed a building as shock effect.