Science Island Museum / SMAR Architecture Studio

Architects: SMAR Architecture Studio
Area: 15000 m²
Year: 2025
Photographs: L.Mykolaitis
Category: Museums & Exhibit
Partners in Charge: Fernando Jerez, Belen Perez de Juan
Project Architects: Fernando Jerez, Bradley Millis
Executive Architect: Architektų biuras G.Natkevičius ir partneria
Architect in Charge: Dominykas Kalmatavičius
Facade Engineers: Arup Madrid (Ignacio Fernandez, Fernando Garcia, Jordi Alcaine)
Structural Engineering: UAB Planas
City: Kaunas
Country: Lithuania

Science Island Museum cultural facility designed by SMAR Architecture Studio in Kaunas, Lithuania integrates architecture with the natural topography of Nemunas Island to create an immersive public and scientific space. The design incorporates circular roof openings that function as public stages and seating areas, merging the museum with the park landscape. The building is organized into two primary zones: the “Back of the House” and the “Front of the House.” The design promotes continuous engagement with the external climate, allowing visitors to observe daylight, weather, and seasonal changes as part of a comprehensive environmental sciences experience. A sloping, reflective roof planted with native vegetation forms the Innovation Centre and serves as a luminous landmark, reflecting natural light during the day and emitting artificial light at night.

Science island museum / smar architecture studio

The new Science Island Museum (Mokslo Sala) is intended to serve as the central landmark of Kaunas’ Nemunas Island. The design follows the island’s natural topography to establish a strong connection with both the surrounding environment and the urban context. The roof includes circular access points that function as public stages and natural seating areas, enabling the museum to integrate smoothly into the landscape and adjacent park.

The building consists of two primary areas: the “Back of the House” and the “Front of the House.” Unlike typical public buildings, the “Back of the House” is not overlooked but is instead designed to include laboratories and offices that receive natural light and offer views of the park.

The design of the building emphasizes a continuous connection to the outdoors and the surrounding climate to support an understanding of how the structure contributes to a broader comprehension of Environmental Sciences. This connection extends beyond the exhibition areas, offering visitors a holistic experience that makes them conscious of light, weather, and seasonal changes as they move through the space. As a result, the building provides a complete phenomenological experience, allowing natural phenomena to be observed directly through the architecture itself.

The existing landscape informs the form of the Innovation Centre, where the roof is designed to support native vegetation and includes a sloping, reflective upper disk. This distinctive architectural element reflects the surrounding landscape and natural light into the building during the day, and emits artificial light from the building at night. It serves as a symbolic new sun for Kaunas, representing the ever-active pursuit of scientific knowledge.