Madeira is known as “the island of flowers” because of its mild climate and luxuriant vegetation. Its landscape is characterized by terraced vineyards and banana plantations and the volcanic rock of the mountains. Landscape is also the theme of Paulo David, the local architect who designed this arts centre. The artificial topography of the new museum, clad entirely in stone, is visibly related to the surroundings. With its basalt outer skin, the complex seems to merge with the cliffs on the western coast of the island. The external spaces look as if they had been cut out of the cubic volume, creating something akin to an urban fabric, with open squares and narrow lanes between the sections of the building.