Museu Nacional Brazil

The National Museum of Brazil (Museu Nacional) in Rio de Janeiro was destroyed by a huge fire in 2018. Officials estimate that the museum lost an estimated 85% of its collection in the fire. Now plans are underway to rebuild and reopen the museum. In February 2021, H + F Arquitetos and Atelier Architecture and Urban Design were appointed to the project. Renderings of the refurbished museum include increased exhibition space as well as an auditorium and administrative and technical rooms. The cost of completely reconstructing the museum has been estimated at 380 million reais ($75m) but the final figure could reach around 500 million reais ($97m). The rebuilding effort has received donations from the Rio de Janeiro government, the Brazilian Development Bank and the federal government, but will mostly rely on donations from private donors and foreign partners. Despite delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and difficulty raising the necessary funds, the first stage of the museum’s restoration project – the façade – was unveiled in September 2022 to coincide with the Brazilian bicentennial of independence. The full building is tentatively scheduled to reopen in 2027. (Updated 5 September 2022)