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Panama Opens a Frank Gehry–Designed Biodiversity Museum

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Panama has opened a biodiversity museum designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, his first project in Latin America.

The Biomuseo — a hodgepodge of bright-colored metal canopies swopping over the eight galleries inside — presents a tour of the Central American nation’s rich, diverse ecosystems, the BBC reports.

The building itself “was designed to tell the story of how the isthmus of Panama rose from the sea, uniting two continents, separating a vast ocean in two, and changing the planet’s biodiversity forever,” the museum’s website says.

Gehry’s other high-profile works include the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

The BBC reports that the project has been beset by budget overruns and delays since work began on it in 1999.

See Stunning Photos of Frank Gehry's Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris

Frank Gehry
Exterior view of the Fondation Louis VuittonIwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton
Frank Gehry
Exterior view of the Fondation Louis VuittonIwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton
Frank Gehry
Exterior detail view of the Fondation Louis VuittonIwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton
Frank Gehry
Exterior detail view of the Fondation Louis VuittonIwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton
Frank Gehry
Interior view of the Fondation Louis VuittonIwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton
Frank Gehry
Exterior detail view of the Fondation Louis VuittonIwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton
Frank Gehry
Interior ceiling of the Fondation Louis VuittonIwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton
Frank Gehry
Aerial view of the Fondation Louis VuittonIwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton

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Write to Elizabeth Barber at elizabeth.barber@timeasia.com