MAAT Museum

MAAT - the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology - opened in 2016 in a building by Amanda Levete: a low structure curving out of the ground on the Tagus bank, clad in about fifteen thousand three-dimensional white ceramic tiles that catch the light off the water, with a roof that rises as a walkable ramp so the public can cross over the museum and look at the river whether or not they buy a ticket. Inside are four galleries showing changing exhibitions of contemporary art, architecture and digital work. It is paired with the Central Tejo, the former riverside power station next door, an early twentieth-century industrial building whose boilers, turbines and control rooms are preserved and open as part of the same institution - the contrast between the two is the reason to visit both. The Foundation EDP runs it, and its programme is temporary rather than collection-based.

What you actually see

• The tiled wave - a low curving building in fifteen thousand white ceramic tiles.
• The walkable roof - a public ramp over the museum with the river below.
• The Central Tejo - the preserved power station with its boilers and turbines.
• The programme - changing exhibitions rather than a permanent collection.

When to go

Year-round. Two to three hours for both buildings. Closed Tuesdays. The roof walk is free and open regardless.

Honest expectations

There is no permanent collection - what is on varies completely, so check before going. The building is more discussed than the art in it. The riverfront is exposed and windy. Belém is crowded.

Nearby

The Belém tower and monastery are west; the LX Factory is east under the bridge.