Science Museum

In this invited competition for a new events space at the Science Museum, Originate’s approach has been one of careful and strategic removal of the building fabric in order to reveal the existing structure and introduce natural light into a series of previously dark spaces. Sitting on the roof of the museum, the existing structure of the old medical galleries is revealed in order to both maximise the perceived ceiling height and provide some dramatic impact at high level. Within this framework, new ‘layers’ are introduced: exposed services and lighting grids are threaded through the structure, and further visual interest is created by the removal of sections of wall and ceiling in order to both increase natural light, and provide views across the city skyline.

A visual ‘code’ or graphic language, abstracted from the Science Museum’s logo is transformed into pixelated planes of varying transparency. As a motif, the graphic language is applied and repeated in subtle forms throughout the spaces. On glass it becomes window manifestation, on the fifth floor it appears on perforated cladding panels, making reference to the identity of the Museum.