Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology

The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, known as MAAT, is a cultural institution in Lisbon, Portugal, situated in the Belém district along the Tagus River. Inaugurated in 2016, the museum explores the intersection of contemporary art, architecture, and technology. The complex comprises two distinct structures: a new kunsthalle designed by the British firm Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A), and the repurposed Central Tejo power station, a landmark of early 20th-century industrial architecture. Owned and operated by the Fundação EDP, the cultural arm of Energias de Portugal, MAAT aims to foster critical discourse and international dialogue while presenting national and international exhibitions and curating perspectives from the EDP Foundation Art Collection.

The MAAT cultural project launched its program on June 30, 2016, with four exhibitions held in the renovated spaces of the Central Tejo power station. The new building opened provisionally on October 5, 2016, coinciding with the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, featuring a site-specific work by French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. The building was fully completed in March 2017. Pedro Gadanho, formerly an architecture curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, served as the museum's first director, followed by Beatrice Leanza in September 2019. On December 19, 2019, storm Elsa caused part of the false ceiling in the building's entrance to collapse. The museum also served as the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest's Blue Carpet event on May 6, 2018.

MAAT's programming focuses on the convergence of art, architecture, and technology, presenting contemporary artists, architects, and thinkers. A core component of its exhibition activity involves curating the EDP Foundation Art Collection, which specializes in modern and contemporary Portuguese art. The institution provides a platform for discovery and critical thinking, offering multidisciplinary educational activities for various audiences and age groups. Exhibitions reflect current subject matters and trends, bridging contemporary innovation with broader societal and environmental questions.

While MAAT functions primarily as a kunsthalle for temporary exhibitions, its permanent infrastructure includes the preserved Central Tejo power station. Originally constructed in 1908 and expanded through the 1940s, the thermoelectric plant operated until 1975 and was classified as an Asset of Public Interest in 1986. It opened as the Electricity Museum in 1990 and was fully rehabilitated by 2006. Today, it houses a permanent exhibition on Portugal's energy heritage, retaining its original machinery and monumental brick facades. The new gallery spaces have hosted notable site-specific installations, including works by Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Isabelle Ferreira, and Ernesto Neto, alongside exhibitions featuring artists such as Alexandre Farto (Vhils) and Cabrita Reis.

The MAAT campus spans a 38,000-square-meter site on the Tagus riverfront in Belém. The new building, designed by AL_A, features a low-slung, undulating form that references Portugal's maritime history. Its facade is clad in 14,936 three-dimensional crackle-glazed ceramic tiles manufactured by Ceramica Cumella, responding to the changing light on the water. A massive steel structure enables an overhanging roof that bounces sunlight off the river into the columnless Oval Gallery below. The building is designed to be traversed over, under, and through, with its accessible roof functioning as a public terrace and outdoor screening space. The complex connects to the Central Tejo station through a landscape project by Vladimir Djurovic and an elegant pedestrian bridge designed by AL_A that lands on the kunsthalle roof. The 20-million-euro project provides approximately 3,000 square meters of exhibition space and 7,000 square meters of public space.

MAAT is located at Avenida Brasilia, 1300-598 Lisbon, in the Belém district, west of the city center. The museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, closing on Tuesdays, January 1, May 1, and December 25, with early closures at 3:00 PM on December 24 and 31. Adult admission is 11 euros for access to both the MAAT Gallery and Central Tejo, with discounts available for children, seniors, students, and Lisboa Card holders. The facility is fully wheelchair accessible, offering ramps, elevators, and lift platforms, with exclusive mobility-impaired access via Park 2, Level 0. Visitors can reach the museum via the Cascais train line to Belém station, tram 15E, or bus lines 714, 727, 728, 729, and 751. A riverside cycle path also connects the site to central Lisbon.