China's new Hainan Science Museum, designed by Ma Yansong and his firm MAD Architects, has been completed and opened to the public.
Located on the edge of the Wuyuan River National Wetland Park, the Hainan Science Museum is described as a museum without columns that connects all of its galleries with one single spiral.
"I wanted the project to be built on the idea of flow and chaos — space, function, and knowledge to flow into one another, freely," said Ma. "Different subjects should connect, overlap, and stay open."
The Hainan Science Museum is a museum without columns that connects all of its galleries with one single spiral.
He added: "If artificial intelligence can already answer almost any question, a science museum's job is no longer to deliver facts. It is to teach children how to ask them."
Since the museum's trial opening, it has welcomed more than 350,000 visitors in four months, with peak days attracting more than 5,800 guests.
At the heart of the project is a single spiralling route that connects every gallery in the museum. It is walkable in either direction, with visitors travelling through ring-shaped galleries.
The Hainan Science Museum is a 46,528-square-meter complex located on the edge of the Wuyuan River National Wetland Park.
Subjects such as deep space, the ocean, Hainan's rainforests, and tropical agriculture flow into each other rather than sitting behind separate doors, MAD said in a press release.
The 46,528-square-meter complex also includes a planetarium, a giant-screen cinema, a sunken plaza, and shaded outdoor planting areas for hands-on agriculture education.
Additionally, the museum includes a hands-on level for children.
Since the Hainan Science Museum's trial opening, it has welcomed more than 350,000 visitors in four months.
With more than 30 schools and kindergartens within a three-kilometre radius, Ma designed the building for the families around it.
"From the beginning, the building was thought of as civic infrastructure for the families who live around it – closer to a public library than a destination landmark," he said.
Images courtesy of MAD Architects / Arch-Exist Photography
