Science museums have always had at their roots the desire for humans to comprehend the world around them. They act as mediators between the intangible world of science and that of the public. But more than a place of culture and knowledge, they are also a place of contemplation, reflection and renewal. In the 21st century, they provide interactive environments for learning, recreation, interaction and empowerment.

Situated at the interface of two cities, two urban parks and two historic vestiges, the Museum of Science of Boston sits as a bridge on the river bank. This metaphor suggests not only the inherent connections of these physical places, but the endless connections between people, science, nature and the urban context of the museum. Following this idea, the project creates a public ground floor, reinforcing the concept of the museum as an urban place for meeting and gathering within the city. Also, opening the building towards the river brings an expression of fluidity, transparency and movement. The museum becomes a threshold between the basin edge along the south and the urban network to the north connecting to the everyday life and reinforcing the notion of “science as culture”.

The approach of the project is founded on a constructional simplicity and is based on raw untreated materials and passive natural resources (light, air, water, etc…). It favors the flexibility, fluidity, expressiveness and the careful manipulation of light and views. In a unifying gesture, the existing complex is wrapped in a new skin, symbolising a new image and era for the Museum of Science. This light structure, with varying degrees of transparency, opacity and reflection, is considered as an interface more than a separation. The existing complex is discernible through the new skin, suggesting the layering and accretive nature of knowledge.