MUDE

Located in the heart of Lisbon’s historical centre and once the headquarters of Banco Nacional Ultramarino (one of the most important financial institutions in Portugal), MUDE, meaning ‘change’ in Portuguese, explores the concept of design, showing its new trends and directions in the 21st century and discussing the relationship between design, art and crafts, and urban, socio-economic, environmental and technological challenges.

A major boost for the reinvention of downtown Lisbon, MUDE is more than a museum of design and fashion, contributing to urban redevelopment as well as to the city’s culture of creativity and innovation. Preserving the building’s architectural history, the museum explores the contrast of old textures with contemporary materials, creating a dialogue between old and new to display design and fashion. Installing a museum in a space that orginally had a different function is not a new idea, but MUDE’s originality lies in preserving and integrating a ruin into its own museum project. More than conserving a dead heritage, it constitutes a living heritage for today and tomorrow.