The Music Museum is installed on two purpose-built floors with ample room (2000 sq. m.), on the western side of the Alto dos Moinhos underground station, chosen because of the ease of access that this provides.

 

On the upper floor are the administrative services, a documentation centre, a workshop for instrument restoration, an office for organological study, technical offices and the reserve areas.

 

The floor below ground houses the reception, support services, shop and exhibition area (which includes a multi-purpose area that will hold about a hundred people, where events regularly take place, such as recitals, talks and temporary exhibitions).

 

The Museum is equipped with an air-conditioning system, essential for the conservation of the pieces it holds, and it also provides access for those confined to wheelchairs by means of a stair-lift which moves mechanically on a handrail.

 

The architecture sought to take into account the particular circumstances that come from being right beside an underground station. Thus, the entrance was conceived to be as transparent as possible so as to attract people moving about the entrance hall of the station, while at the same time ensuring insulation in acoustic terms.

 

In its treatment of the area open to the public, it sought to give the sensation of a wide, open space. The large transparent areas and the colours used contribute to making the pieces on display stand out and creating an intimate and comfortable environment.