MET Studio has been appointed to design three out of the six total galleries at the new-build 14,000sq m (150,700sq ft) Museum of Environmental Sciences (Museo de Ciencias Ambientales – MCA) in Western Mexico which expects to attract up to half a million visitors a year.

The project, set to break ground in 2015, is to form part of a cultural quarter, situated close to the University of Guadalajara and its galleries – the other three of which will be designed by NYC-based Thinc architects. All will focus on the future sustainability of Western Mexico.

Guadalajara has almost doubled in population since 1980 and therefore faces significant challenges for the health, wealth and wellbeing of its citizens. This project aims to help people understand and engage with the "interconnectedness" of the city with the surrounding environment, according to a statement by MET Studio.

“The audience for the project is very much the young people of the region who will inherit the results of today’s and tomorrow’s environmental decisions and who will be encouraged to engage with these important issues,” said MET Studio Design director Peter Karn. “Our design very much embraces this by incorporating a contemporary interpretation of indigenous styles and bringing a social aspect to the gallery spaces and interactives.”

Internationally-known conservationist Eduardo Santana-Castellon is the project’s conceptual leader. He aims to found a facility which is co-created by the university in partnership with the city’s young, urban population, whose increased appreciation of the environment is a key project aim.

Approximately two years ago, MET Studio created the masterplan for the museum as part of a joint venture with Academy Studios. MET Studio chairman Alex McCuaig subsequently sat on the panel for the architecture competition to appoint the project architects – choosing Oslo and New York-based practice Snøhetta.

MET Studio is working with former head of exhibit, innovation and special projects at London’s Natural History Museum, Bob Bloomfield, to create this engagement centre.