MUDE – Museum of Design Fashion, Francisco Capelo Collection

MUDE’s eight floors occupy an entire block of Pombaline origin, which has undergone profound modifications, and expansions throughout its existence. In the 1920s, it became the headquarters of BNU (Banco Nacional Ultramarino), later undergoing an extension designed by Luís Cristino da Silva and another intervention, this time by architects António Garcia and Daciano da Costa. Not so long ago, in 2001, while owned by the bank CGD, a remodelling project started, but the works were interrupted. Thus, the building was left empty, with no technical infrastructure, and the interiors demolished. In 2009, MUDE opened to the public as a temporary space and remained as such until 2016, when it closed so that new works could start. With the museology concept of Bárbara Coutinho, the museum director, the new project aims to transform a building thought of as a closed, hierarchical, and segregated space, a reflection of an autocratic culture, into a living, inclusive and dynamic place that promotes an ample and participatory experience to the museum visitors.