A ‘Cloud’ Floats Atop A Jungle At Futuristic Science & Technology Museum

By Ell Ko, 01 Nov 2021

Image via MAD Architects

The concept of the “future” is often one associated with, and flanked by, the fields of science, art, and technology. These four things are beautifully joined in a clean, futuristic museum and cultural hub.

The Hainan Science and Technology Museum will, beyond a museum, also act as a cultural center for Haikou City in Hainan, China. Its cloud form is the work of MAD Architects, a firm that has come up with a few of these recognizable shapes in past works.

In this museum, the form takes inspiration from the site’s duality: it’s very much a part of nature, given its close tie with a tropical rainforest close by, but it’s also intertwined with the dense cityscape just after the lush greenery ends. Perhaps MAD describes it best: where “primeval rainforest and technology of the future meet.”

Image via MAD Architects

With an exterior façade of fiber-reinforced plastic, it’ll be hard to miss from both near and far, although both perspective serves different purposes. “From a distance, the futuristic building appears to emerge from the city, while visitors entering in the museum area witness it floating above the jungle,” MAD details.

While promising to be a standout feature of the city’s skyline, the iconic building will still manage to fit elegantly into the surrounding greenery without disrupting its natural beauty.

Spanning over 500,000 square feet of museum space, the building will be organized around a central atrium that allows for natural light to flow in from above. This is what visitors will find themselves navigating as they explore what the museum has to offer, with galleries including exhibitions on subjects like space, wildlife, and technology.

Image via MAD Architects

Apart from this, a giant-screen theater and flying theater will also be introduced. Plus, visitors will be able to enjoy a gorgeous, uninterrupted view of the site and its surroundings from the museum’s 360º observation deck on the fifth floor.

Image via MAD Architects

Outside, a sunken plaza and reflecting pool aim to offer visitors much more than the conventional museum experience, emphasizing a time of rest and relaxation.

Image via MAD Architects

Bringing the learning experience to real-life are the surrounding tropical plants included in its landscape, “offering visitors more than simply an exhibition-viewing experience by also providing a pleasant environment to freely enjoy and experience nature.”

Currently, the museum is under construction. There are plans for it to open in 2024, but until then, we will have to make do with perusing the concept images full of anticipation.