The MUDE (Museum of Design and Fashion) occupies one of the most imposing buildings of Lisbon’s financial history. Formerly the headquarters of the Banco Nacional Ultramarino, the building was once home to a large amount of currency. The various artworks, and even the bank’s treasure in the basement, reflect this history well.

Because when the museum took over, they made a radical architectural choice: they stripped it to the bone. Instead of masking the past, they exposed the "skeletal" remains. Leaving behind rough concrete pillars and raw industrial surfaces to contrast with the high-fashion couture and interesting furniture on display.

This "unfinished" aesthetic is a deliberate nod to the passage of time. The building is a massive, hollowed-out memory of the 20th century serving as a stage for 21st-century creativity. It is where the heavy, stationary history of a bank meets the fluid world of design.