After the confirmation of the property for the development of the Science Museum (MuCi) project, design work has begun with the help of architect Luis Ayala and community collaboration. According to the designer, the building will seek to be harmonious with the city and nature, and at the same time revitalize the Bay of Asunción and Parque Caballero.
After the purchase of the property for the Science Museum (MuCi) is approved at the end of 2023, this new year begins with the presence in the country of Luis Ayala, co-founder of the MuCi and leader of the architectural project of the first interactive science museum in Paraguay. The compatriot architect, who resides in the United States, is already working on the first guidelines of what will be one of the best museums of this type in the region and the third in the world with planetarium technology with a curved LED screen.
In addition to the contribution of the expert, an essential pillar in the development of the project is community participation, which is achieved through field trips and ideas provided by those attending the different proposals of the Tatakua Lab, the space that MuCi set up in the Textilia Complex. until the inauguration of its headquarters. Once this conceptual phase is completed, the museum’s design will be revealed in mid-2024.
Although the creation project is in an initial stage, MuCi is very clear about what it wants to be and what it does not want to be, according to Ayala, for whom it is key that this project invites people to fall in love with Paraguay. “As a Paraguayan living abroad I see the incredible talent that exists in this country,” he says from his experiences as leader of the architectural proposal.
A design in harmony with its environment
The conceptual outlines that will govern the MuCi project can be divided into those that determine its relationship with the space that surrounds it and the building elements. Firstly, its privileged location, between the Costanera José Asunción Flores and Parque Caballero, gives it the potential to revitalize the Bay of Asunción and the historic park with a cultural and scientific proposal.
Recognizing this location, the MuCi seeks to establish connections with the park through stairs, ramps, paths and rest areas, offering spaces that citizens can occupy and appropriate, bringing dynamism.
Secondly, there are the building criteria. The museum headquarters does not intend to be high-rise, so that Parque Caballero preserves its views of the bay and preserves an environment where visitors can reflect and recognize the importance of caring for the collective.
Other criteria are also considered that will make the MuCi harmonious with its environment. To receive visitors, for example, it is planned that the entrances to the property will be on the side streets to avoid congesting the main streets. In addition, it seeks to preserve the natural environment by maintaining underground parking spaces. In this way, the surface can be used for green spaces or outdoor activities.
Finally, it attempts to potentiate local authenticity and indigenous concepts such as the culata jovái type structure (typical architectural construction of rural housing in Paraguay) and the use of native species of flora in the gardens.
Dynamize the city through people
“They understood that people bring people and that people take care of people,” says Ayala, using the example of the city of Medellín (Colombia), where the Botanical Garden project promoted a 180º turn in the city’s security. by becoming a must-visit tourist spot. That is what the MuCi seeks to generate in Asunción. Due to its location, the area of influence covers the Ricardo Brugada (Chacarita), Jara and Las Mercedes neighborhoods and their more than 30,000 inhabitants.
Through new services – such as exhibition halls, open gardens, a high-tech planetarium, a space observation station, an amphitheater and a cafe – the MuCi will be a meeting point for the people of Asunción and residents of other parts of the country. country, even from abroad. With traveling exhibitions, you will always have a new proposal, which will mean that people can visit you on several occasions, with new offers each time.
About the architect Luis Ayala
Luis Ayala trained as an architect in Paraguay. After dedicating a few years to teaching and professional practice, he emigrated to the United States. After leading two design firms, creating proposals for countries such as the United States, Argentina, Spain, Costa Rica, Canada and Saudi Arabia, today he leads his own firm in Houston and is part of organizations that promote development through education, such as the MuCi, a project in which he appears as a co-founder. Among his awards are the AIA’s Ben Brewer Award for lifetime achievement and the Caudill for excellence in design for educational entities. He has an architect license in Paraguay and the United States.