Today was raining and cloudy all day! So we decided to go downtown and see MAR - Rio's Museum of Art, it recently finished this year and was done by architecture firm Jacobsen Arquitetura http://www.jacobsenarquitetura.com/projetos/?CodProjeto=12 . The museum combines the older existing building with a new building that houses the administrative offices, auditorium, staff offices and educational programs for the city of Rio. 

When you enter from the ground level into the open outdoor space which doubles as a sculpture gallery. People can hang out enjoy the outdoor space, relax in the gift shop or the cafe next door. There is a smaller glass canopy that will shelter you from the rain when waiting to get your tickets or enjoying your cafe outdoors. 

After you get your ticket, you are then directed to the elevator which then takes you to the top level of the new building. This level serves as an observation deck and there is also a bar / bistro up there too. From here you can observe the construction of the building in better detail, from the glass railings to the floating concrete canopy roof which is designed to symbolize the waves of water. The slender white columns connect effortlessly to the roof floating above giving you the sense that the roof really is floating. 

From the top level you can access the entry to the museum from the level below by going down a wide circular stair. From there you are given views directed by the architects placement of the channel glass facade panels. Some are completely closed off and some are spaced apart to allow air and openness to be experienced by the user. From here you take the metal clad floating rectilinear tube to the existing museum where the exhibits are held at. 

The museum itself had a really good exhibit on the history of Rio de Janeiro. They had some other exhibits that showed the artists perspective of Rio de Janeiro, a lot of the work would be considered modern art. The overall experience of the museum was a nice experience. I hope it helped give more jobs to the surrounding neighborhoods and help the economic stability of the area.