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 | Apr 23, 2015
Moshe Safdie unveils pentagonal scheme for National Medal of Honor Museum
The new museum near Charleston, S.C., will archive the history of the nation's highest military honorees.
Museums | Apr 22, 2015
Check out Ralph Johnson's stunning nature-inspired Shanghai museum
The newly opened Shanghai Natural History Museum, designed by Perkins+Will’s Global Design Director Ralph Johnson, mimics the shape of a nautilus shell, and features natural elements throughout.
Museums | Apr 16, 2015
SANAA and Snøhetta tie at first place for Budapest museum bid
The two firms submitted designs for the New National Gallery and Ludwig Museum, one of five planned museums to be constructed in a park just outside the urban center of Hungary’s capital.
Sponsored | Fire-Rated Products | Apr 14, 2015
Fire resistive curtain wall brings maximum light, views and safety to Aspen Art Museum
The curtain wall used for the Shigeru Ban-designed museum provides maximum daylight while protecting the art from fire
Museums | Apr 10, 2015
Henning Larsen Architects designs timber museum extension in Sweden
The new extension will complement Österund’s wooded surroundings
Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015
14 projects that push AEC teaming to the limits
From Lean construction to tri-party IPD to advanced BIM/VDC coordination, these 14 Building Teams demonstrate the power of collaboration in delivering award-winning buildings. These are the 2015 Building Team Award winners.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
9/11 museum triumphs over controversy
The Building Team for this highly visible project had much more than design, engineering, and construction problems to deal with.
High-rise Construction | Mar 16, 2015
Mexican Museum tower caught in turmoil to break ground this summer in San Francisco
Millennium Partners said it will break ground on the 53-story residential and museum tower while the lawsuits go through the appeals process.
Museums | Mar 9, 2015
Architecture based on astronomy principles for new planetarium in Shanghai
The ancient Chinese civilization left some of the earliest records of humans studying the stars and skies. To exhibit this long history, a new planetarium and astronomy museum is planned for construction in Shanghai.
Museums | Mar 5, 2015
A giant, silver loop in Dubai will house the Museum of the Future
The Sheikh of Dubai hopes the $136 million museum will serve as an incubator for ideas and real designs—a global destination for inventors and entrepreneurs.
