As if its multicolored facade wasn’t eye-catching enough, the Biomuseo is prominently sited on the highly visible Amador Causeway at the Pacific mouth of the [Panama Canal](http://inhabitat.com/tag/panama-canal). The 44,132-square-foot building will serve as a major civic and educational resource for the residents of Panama, as well as an attractive tourist destination. The museum houses a series of permanent exhibitions created by Bruce Mau Design and is surrounded by a new 6-acre Biodiversity Park designed by Gehry in collaboration with landscape designer Edwina von Gal. Gehry centered the Biomuseo on a public open-air [atrium](http://inhabitat.com/tag/atrium) covered by a sequence of multicolored metal canopies, each folded and staggered to evoke Panama’s local vernacular of tin roofs and colorful facades. The origami-like roofs also help protect the interior from the region’s wet-season downpour and wind gusts. A museum store, cafe, and a temporary exhibition space branch out from the central atrium. [Via.](http://inhabitat.com/frank-gehrys-origami-like-biomuseo-opens-in-panama-city/vm/?extend=1)