Over the last twenty years Kaunas, known formerly as an industrial centre and interwar capital of Lithuania, has reinvented itself as a diverse academic and business-focused city attuned to innovation and economic and cultural growth. Science Island will be a defining project for Kaunas.
Science Island’s aim is to inspire new audiences, young and old: fostering an enduring relationship with science and innovation, communicating knowledge and expanding understanding through hands-on activities and play.
This one-stage anonymous design contest seeks an inspirationally sustainable concept design for Lithuania’s new €25M National Science and Innovation Centre scheduled to open in 2018. The contest is open to all qualified architects and was organised by London-based competition specialists Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC).
The Science Centre should be focused on three interrelated scientific themes, the Human, the Machine and Ecology/Nature. The project’s overall aim is to foster and advance the development of science and culture in Kaunas.
The centre should promote visitors’ active engagement, promote creative and innovative thinking and lead in improving environmental awareness. Key objectives required in the design include; functionality, innovation, energy-efficiency- via usage of natural and renewable resources, flexibility and accessibility.
The total site area of the centre is 13,000 square metres. The Centre should include a mixture of permanent and temporary galleries, a virtual planetarium, an ‘Experimentorium’, research laboratories, a cafeteria, and a flexible events space. Visitors to Science Island are anticipated to number circa 300,000 per year.
The Equilibrium: A new Science museum for Kaunas integrates the built form into the natural setting, whilst creating a landmark educational venue that re-energises the island as new cultural destination. The accessible design consists of environmentally friendly and sustainable materials which allow for fluctuating climatic factors.
The conceptual form is inspired by the site: the V-shaped embankment at the western end of the island. The triangular form of the museum consists of 4 levels of gallery space, with each angle point directed to a main district in the city. The central volume within the triangle functions as a navigational space and houses the Planetarium which is suspended in the atrium.
The facade is envisaged as a timber latticed shell that gives a natural finish to the elevation, responding to the setting of the Park. The structure also provides solar shading to the museum and office spaces. The entrance is located at the foot of the embankment, with a piazza as a foreground -providing another possible outdoor exhibition space.
