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 | Nov 11, 2015
MVRDV designs a ‘disco ball’ for Rotterdam
Called the Collectiegebouw (Dutch for "collection building"), the building will make public the city’s extensive art collection, and give visitors a look at how museums work backstage, according to Fast Company.
Museums | Nov 10, 2015
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum breaks ground on Collections and Conservation Center
Designed by SmithGroupJJR, the David and Fela Shapell Family Collections and Conservation Center will provide long-term, secure preservation for evidence of the Holocaust.
Museums | Nov 6, 2015
Studio Gang designs sculpted science center for the American Museum of Natural History
The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation will hold areas where visitors can engage with high-tech tools, such as gene mapping, 3D imaging, and big data assimilation and visualization, all to learn about the current state of scientific research.
Museums | Nov 4, 2015
George Lucas museum design by MAD Architects finally gets green light
The project will go ahead with its revised, smaller-scale design.
Museums | Oct 22, 2015
Kengo Kuma’s design for cultural museum in the Philippines evokes prehistoric cave feel
The Museum of Indigenous Knowledge in Manila, will house over 4,000 years of history.
Museums | Oct 20, 2015
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman Wilson House finds new home at Arkansas museum
Crystal Bridges Museum reconstructed the 61-year-old Usonian house and will open it to the public in November.
Museums | Oct 16, 2015
Renzo Piano will turn century-old Moscow power plant into art gallery
The idea is to take the GES2 power station, which was built between 1904 and 1907, and turn it into an exhibition space for the V-A-C Foundation, a Russian art organization.
Museums | Oct 6, 2015
Columbus Museum of Art to open new wing at month's end
Created by the DesignGroup, the Margaret M. Walter Wing is part of a $36.7 million renovation project.
Museums | Sep 29, 2015
Designs unveiled for Warsaw Art Museum and Theatre
Emphasizing the building’s role in the public sphere, the museum will be accessible from all sides.
Museums | Sep 22, 2015
David Adjaye releases plans for Ruby City art gallery in San Antonio
San Antonio's Ruby City will hold 800 works of art in 10,000 sf of exhibition space.
