BRIGHTENING SENSORY EXPLORATIONS

Kanva’s design for Biodome Science Museum invites abundant natural light from the glass skylights that enhance the sensory experience of the visitors.

The Biodome Science Museum in Montreal is renovated by the architecture office Kanva to enrich the visitor experience and transform the public spaces around the museum. The building hosts ecosystems, including Tropical Rainforest, Laurentian Maple Forest, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Sub-Antarctic Islands, and Labrador Coast, and supporting functions such as the information desk/hall, café and restaurant.

While the specific ecosystems are contained with highly technical details from the rest of the building, the common areas for circulation give a feeling of exploration. The glass skylights define the building’s roof as a living skin and invite the natural daylight inside the building’s halls and circulation areas. The new design amplifies the sensorial experience of visitors transitioning from these common areas into the discovery of adjacent ecosystems.

Photography: © Marc Cramer, James Brittain