In Shenzhen, in the Guangming district within the Greater Bay Area, the world's largest metropolitan area with a population of almost 100 million residents, the new Museum of Science and Technology has opened: the institution, which will unveil new perspectives on the great future issues through the lens of technical-scientific progress, will emphasise Shenzen's leading role in the field of technological innovation also through collaboration with regional research centres and industries. Zaha Hadid Architects, a firm that has always pushed the boundaries (spatial, material and figurative) codifying a boldly experimental and clearly recognisable vocabulary, designed the futuristic work.
The building, located in the south-eastern corner of the new Science Park, comprises 35,000 square metres of permanent and temporary exhibition halls and galleries, 6,000 square metres of theatres and cinemas, 5,400 square metres of research laboratories, teaching facilities and an innovation centre, 34,000 square metres of visitor spaces, warehouses and production workshops.
The imposing spherical volume, almost as if moved by an endogenous thrust or attracted by a magnetic force field, stretches out westwards into the park, diluting its mass in a dynamic sequence of external terraces that offer the city a new captivating civic venue. In the exterior, a steel "skin" in colour shades from deep blue to grey, covered with a self-cleaning and protective oxide film developed through nanotechnology, evokes the dynamism of celestial bodies orbiting in space.
Inside, a web of tunnels floating in the air surrounds the large central glazed atrium, opening multiple and unexpected perspectives on the architectural space (and beyond).
As always in Zha's work, particular attention to environmental sustainability moves the project: from the use of recyclable materials in the construction, to passive design techniques integrated with management networks and high-efficiency systems, which allow consumption and climate-changing emissions to be significantly reduced.
