MAD Architects has revealed the design for the Hainan Science and Technology Museum, located on Haikou’s west coast in Hainan province, shortly before the project is set to break ground at the end of August.
The 500,000-sf museum draws from the site’s dual urban and natural context, set against the backdrop of a tropical rainforest. The museum’s main pavilion is shaped like a cloud in dialogue with nature. From a distance, the building is designed to emerge from the city, while it will appear to visitors entering the museum area to be floating above the jungle.
About 299,000 sf of the museum’s total area is located above ground and includes permanent exhibition space, a planetarium, a giant-screen theater, and a flying theater. The museum’s interior structure comprises three floor-to-ceiling cores, curved trusses, spiral ramps, and a roof, that are all exposed to achieve harmony between the architectural forms and structural system. A skylight in the museum’s dome bathes the atrium in natural light while a sloping, spiraling exhibition space ascends from the central hall over five floors to connect visitors across the museum.
The exhibition experience begins on the fifth floor where the elevator opens to a 360-degree viewing platform with the sea and cityscape visible in the distance. Visitors on the top floor begin by exploring the technology and space galleries before proceeding down the ramp to the ocean and life science galleries on the fourth floor. The math and science galleries are on the third floor and the multimedia interactive experience area and the children’s playground are on the second floor. As visitors travel down the ramp, the can simultaneously enjoy the scenery and the exhibitions and a gallery running alongside the ramp extends the viewing experience.
The museum’s facade of fiber-reinforced plastic gives the building a distinctive silver, reflective exterior from both near and far. An undulating canopy extends from the main pavilion in all directions to create a space specifically conceived to accommodate the public in Haikou’s humid and rainy climate. The north side of the canopy also hosts the giant screen and flying theater. The southwest corner hosts the planetarium and observatory. Outdoor public spaces include a crater-like sunken plaza and a reflecting pool.
The Hainan Science and Technology Museum is slated for completion in 2024.
Related Stories
Museums | Jan 8, 2024
Achieving an ideal visitor experience with the ADROIT approach
Alan Reed, FAIA, LEED AP, shares his strategy for crafting logical, significant visitor experiences: The ADROIT approach.
Cultural Facilities | Nov 21, 2023
Arizona’s Water Education Center will teach visitors about water conservation and reuse strategies
Phoenix-based architecture firm Jones Studio will design the Water Education Center for Central Arizona Project (CAP)—a 336-mile aqueduct system that delivers Colorado River water to almost 6 million people, more than 80% of the state’s population. The Center will allow the public to explore CAP’s history, operations, and impact on Arizona.
Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2023
Top 65 Cultural Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Clark Group, Whiting-Turner, Gilbane, and Holder Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all cultural building sectors, including concert venues, art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries.
Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2023
Top 60 Cultural Facility Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF, Arup, Thornton Tomasetti, Tetra Tech, and WSP head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector engineering and engineering architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all cultural building sectors, including concert venues, art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries.
Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2023
Top 110 Cultural Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Populous, Gensler, HGA, DLR Group, and Quinn Evans top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all cultural building sectors, including concert venues, art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries.
Products and Materials | Oct 31, 2023
Top building products for October 2023
BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from structural round timber to air handling units.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023
Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
