Project science museum

The Natural  Human  Machine or Natūralus  Žmogaus  Mašinos

Use of Object

Natural Human Machine (NSC) will be a centre for exhibition, experiment and expression.

These three “e“s are central to the proposal.

This is Exhibition as a Cabinet, a container of items, which can be revealed once you enter the cabinet but are also glimpsed from outside. It is a place for gathering (and admiring), and studying, science through the prism of the cabinet. Within the cabinet are the stones which in themselves are items of curiosity but also contain their own elements of research and exhibition.

Object in Landscape

A place of ecology within a City where the NCS is metaphorically a stone in the landscape partially revealed, and as a place borrows from the traditions of Kaunas Castle as a building in the landscape and citadel. The proposed NCS responds to the “locale” of the island as a place of ecology and tranquillity within a City.

Lighting

Much is invested into maximising daylight into the main Exhibition hall and the pods. All spaces (including workshops can have some daylight ( top lights) with only the Black-out box zone ( pod 2) being entirely without daylight.

Artificial light is considered as being entirely LED throughout with a combination of High bay LED , point and strip luminance LEDs throughout.

The NCS will therefore have a variegated image both during both night and daytime

The proposed NCS is orientated with its long faces facing North and South which provide two different faces to the object.

The North faces the City and whilst providing natural light to the main exhibition Volume is the “window” to the City. Both during the day and night the activities into the main exhibition areas remain visible from the street and the canal side-walk.

From the South (facing the island) is considered as an extension of the Landscape as a constructed “mound”, which also provides a thermal mass to the whole building enclosure.

Exhibition Space Concept

The subjects which we would assume will form the basis for the NSC will vary in Type, Scale and Level of interaction. Type (examples only)

·         Information Age – how human lives have been changed by information.

·         The Photograph

·         The Machine Age

·         The Continuing  Ecology

The three sections of the Natural, Human and Machine world are considered to be placed in One Volume (the Main Exhibition Spaces) which are interlocked and share a common area of introduction and “pause”.(under platform zones) – we have celled this the Fusion Zone.

The precise separation will be determined by the separation of the Exhibition curator but we would assume that the 3 sections can be either divided or have zones for interlocking or fusion of exhibits. These 3 Zones are accessed on Level 00 – directly from the Lobby Zone. Therefore the drawn separations and objects are indicative only and can be adjusted to suit a more detail exhibition brief.

The Pods

The main exhibition zones are complemented by 3 large enclosures raised up above the main floor. These Pods will accommodate the specified Event activities determined in the brief, providing accessible but compact space for each. As each activity has specific requirements, the design of the interior will allow as follows:

·         Pod 1: Temporary Exhibition with one or multiple areas (can be subdivided) . the Pod is accessed from the platform (level 1) and has a north facing picture facade and a high level skylight both of which can be shaded if required providing for most of the year generous daylight. The glazing panels would be designed to be openable  to allow for larger objects to be “craned” in if required.

·         Pod 2: Lower level Black-box presentation and mini auditorium space which is modelled to achieve maximum acoustic qualities to reduce the need for high-level PA system.

·         Level 2: the planetarium which could be either for digital or virtual fit out (designed here with a dome roof).

·         Pod 3: The laboratory (platform level) and Experimenterium ( level 02) are located to be closer to the admin block due to high-level of staff and mentoring required here. Each space is designed with a wet area, storage and in the laboratory  glass smoke chamber.

Outside Park Experience Decks

All the 3 Sections have access to the Outside Park Experience Decks location on the North side of the NSC which can be either taken over for all 3 subjects or maybe arranged to focus on one or two.

The Expo Deck has been considered as a multi-surface area of approximately 4000 m2 which can be planned to suit a wide of objects and installations from helical Wind towers to sundials and state of the art fire-units. The underside  of the Expo Deck can be also explored from a ramp down connected to the Plaza which allows for a Eco-Walk in a subterranean environment where visitors may see (for example) , water life , tree routes (in large glazed boxes ) and an eco-wall which rises up above deck level carrying different plant life.

To the South the NSC appears buried behind an embankment facing and integrating with the Island’s existing landscape.

CONCEPTS

Kaunas Science museum

• SERVICES RENDERED

  Design

• PROJECT SIZE

  11400m²

• PROJECT PERIOD

  2016 – 2017

• INVESTOR

  Municipality of Kaunas, Lithuania