Science and Innovation Promotion Centre “Science Island” that is currently under construction on the Nemunas Island has already received a Christmas gift — Kaunas City Municipal Administration and TRIAS AVI signed an agreement to design and creation of new, interactive exhibition. The winners of the public tender, with great experience both in Poland and worldwide, will start the process of design and creation of the exhibits. The installation works will start next year.
Unique throughout Europe
11.5 thousand m2 museum will accommodate permanent and changing expositions, a unique virtual projection space, STEAM laboratories, cafés and an administrative part. Here children and even their parents will be able to apply theoretical knowledge in practice. 140 exhibits will create the permanent exhibition, while temporary exhibitions will be replaced once a year.
– Science Island is being created not only with Kaunas citizens in mind, but also all Lithuanians. We believe that investment in the promotion of science will reveal the potential of young generation and contribute to the overall prosperity of the country. We want children’s creativity and abilities to be developed here. Students from all over the region will carry out various studies and tests in laboratories. There will also be one of the most advanced planetarium in this region of Europe.
So far, we only have been able to envy the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw or the AHHAA of Tallinn. Practice shows that such institutions, among other benefits, also promote tourism among neighboring countries. We are trying to make sure that by the end of next year the museum will be opened for visitors – says the Mayor of Kaunas Visvaldas Matijošaitis.
The new science museum on the Nemunas Island is expected to attract about 300 thousand visitors a year. The exhibition will be designed and created by a Polish company, whose exhibits can be found at the Copernicus Science Centre, the National Bank of Poland Money Centre in Warsaw and the modern Epi-Center of Science in Białystok. On Wednesday, at the Science Center and Innovation construction site a 5.3 million EUR contract was signed.
– We are delighted to be part of the “Science Island” project, especially since it is the first science center in Lithuania. As we are responsible for both design and creation, we can already say that it will be an exclusive object on the European scale. We have been on the Polish market for 26 years, and over the last few years we have focused on science centers, museums and exhibition spaces. During that time we created more than 50 exhibitions – says Dawid Polasik, commercial director of TRIAS AVI, company responsible for design and creation of the “Science Island” exhibition. – We are also active worldwide in providing state-of-the-art multimedia solutions for multinational companies in Europe and the United States,”
Congratulating Kaunas on the construction of the new building, Marcin Wojczynski, Vice President of TRIAS AVI noted that there is a fundamental difference between a museum and a science center, as in the latter the visitors can interact, touch and experience the exhibits.
Features of Modernism architecture
The authors divided the exhibition into 7 themes: human body and health, food, nature and environment, waste and pollution, energy, transport and communication. Each space will stand out in its individual form and with its own exhibits. Seventh part of the Science Center will be dedicated to the youngest visitors (3-6 years), adapted to their cognitive needs. Here children will get acquainted with science through games, sensations, colors and shapes.
– We want children to be interested in science before they start their formal education. The aim of the exhibition is to make one fall in love with science. We are planning to create a virtual projection space, a dome is equipped with a digital exposition, where visitors will not only be able to travel in space, but also learn about other sciences. This object will become the heart of the promotion of science – said Aistė Lukaševičiūtė, Head of Science and Innovation Promotion Centre.
Elements of the new exhibition’s scenography will refer to modernism, which occupies an important place among Kaunas’ main architectural motifs. The scenography was inspired by the city’s most recognizable Modernistic buildings: the Central Post Office, Žaliakalnis Funicular Raylway, M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Vytautas the Great War Museum, Bank of Lithuania and others. The colors of the exhibition will be consistent with the architecture of the interior.
The design of the exhibition assumes that a visit to “Science Island” will evoke many emotions among visitors – joy, stimulation, but also calmness and reflection.
End of construction – next year
The A++ energy performance class building was designed by SMAR Architecture Studio, an international, award winning Spanish and Australian architect office. The technical part is being implemented by the team of architect Gintautas Natkevičius.
More than two-thirds of the construction work has already been carried out on the island of Nemunas. Almost all monolithic structures — poles, walls, floors are installed. There are also about 1700 m2 of outdoor displays installed. The plan is to fully insulate the roof before the end of this year.
An exclusive 21-metre diameter “turning disc” design will become the main decoration of the Science and Innovation Centre which will be completed next year.
The total value of the project is about 35 million EUR including VAT. The construction of the Science Center will cost up to around 26 million EUR. The remaining amount will be spent for exposition and other installation works.