Architecture studio Kengo Kuma & Associates has completed the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian extension in Lisbon, which is defined by a wood-clad canopy that draws on Japanese architecture.
Originally designed in 1983 by British architect Leslie Martin, the existing 17,174-square-metre art centre was updated to brighten its interiors and help reintegrate it with the city.
Kengo Kuma & Associates has largely retained the existing concrete structure but updated it with an extension defined by a sweeping canopy that references an engawa ? a sheltered corridor typical of Japanese architecture.
Kengo Kuma & Associates has extended Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian in Lisbon
The expansion also encompasses new gallery spaces, circulation routes and openings that aim to improve visual connections and foster a "new dialogue" between the building and its gardens. "The main concept [of the project] is engawa ? the name of a traditional Japanese in-between space," studio founder Kengo Kuma told Dezeen.
"An engawa can create connection, and connection is really important for the future [of the] museum," he added. "We tried to connect [the garden and building] by adding new engawa spaces."
A landscaped garden provides an entrance route to the centre
At the centre's southern edge, a 4.5-metre-high boundary wall has been replaced by a lower wall and gate to help establish a connection with the adjacent street.
This gate leads into a 7,...