The Science Island Kaunas

Kaunas, Lithuania, competition 2016

The Science and Innovation Centre on the Nemunas Island in Kaunas is a landscape responding to Nemunas Island natural situation and its topography, to the presence of Nemunas River and to the skyline of Kaunas City.

The building is arranged around a Central Atrium accessible from the Piazza. The Central Atrium illuminates the museum's interior, indicating to the city its cultural presence.
This is a life pulsating interior that allows an immediate orientation as to the location of the various parts of the museum, particularly its visible galleries.
The space of the Atrium, like the entrance space of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and the Foyer of the Berliner Philharmonie, is the heart and the soul of the Science Centre and reflects the importance of this cultural institution.
The ground floor provides space for the main visitors' services like the visitor's center, the counter, the wardrobe,   the souvenir and book shop, etc. The generous space of the Atrium also works as foyer for the Flexible Event space.
The exhibition galleries are located on split levels connected by the stairs which allow the visitors' a gaze into the gallery's collections.
The south wing of the building is occupied by the exhibits delivery area as well as by the storage rooms and workshops. The administration is concentrated right above these spaces on the first floor. Their location allows for direct interaction between the various museum functions and their employees.
The green roof of the museum is extension of the green surface of Nemunas Island Park, offering a panoramic walk and views of the city. It allows for outdoor exhibitions and installation and it is connected to the galleries through the Atrium.