National Science and Innovation Centre by Smar Architecture Studio

Nestled in the heart of the UNESCO-designated and celebrated university city of Kaunas in Lithuania, the National Science and Innovation Centre is expected to open a year in advance of Kaunas’s tenure as European Capital of Culture 2022. Known as Science Island, the centre will be located on Nemunas Island in the Neman River, adjacent to the Žalgiris Arena (the largest indoor arena in the Baltics) and within short walking distance of Kaunas’s historic Centras district.

Designed by Smar Architecture Studio in collaboration with students from the University of Western Australia, the project exploits the island’s natural slope and topographical levels. The architects want the centre to be “like an oasis where everyone – locals and visitors – feels the energy of the environment.”

Project location Kaunas, Lithuania

Client

Kaunas City municipality

Type Cultural

Site area 328,732 m2

Gross floor area 11,663 m2

Status – Design competition winner – Expected completion 2021

Practice locations Perth, Australia; Madrid, Spain