PROJECT REPORT: CULTURAL, CIVIC & FAITH BUILDINGS 37
centre. It already featured glazing to all four sides, with an existing roofl ight and external terrace. While changes made weren’t particularly substantial or signifi cant, they were intentional, done so to bring the overall building “into harmony with the exhibition,” Nissen says, “in terms of changing the colour of the timber and peeling back some existing layers to simplify the building and ensure the exhibition design became the main focus.” There were also some more practical changes and additions – namely upgraded lighting and the introduction of translucent screens to help with the low summertime sun. The existing roof was also “very visually noisy and spacious” which confl icted with the team’s desire to focus visitors’ attention on the landscape outside, and the exhibits and window level. To negate this, “we diminished ceiling details to bring people’s eyes down, and also incorporated some suspended elements to close the gap,” she explains. With timber already present within the existing structure, plus its “obvious natural
ADF JULY/AUGUST 2026
connotations,” it was used extensively for fi nishes in the exhibition, “stained to match the wonderful blues and greens of the external landscape,” says Nissen. Timber also features at the welcome desk and within the shop and cafe, which follow the same “timber design language” as the exhibition space itself. “Timber is warm, tactile and comfortable and we looked at lots of samples to get the feel just right.” This attention to detail is a key factor in the project. The team wanted to focus on everything from the bigger elements, right down to smaller details. It was important the exhibition and its data visualisations and interactives would clearly represent not only the science but, continuing the overall theme, the “beauty of nature,” Nissen explains. This saw them “prioritise the use of circles, curves and organic shapes whenever appropriate.”
As well as colour and material choices, the topography of the landscape inspired the placement of furniture within the exhibition. It was intentionally placed at the level of the bases of the windows, “so that
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EXTERNAL ENVELOPE The 400 m2
exhibition space is glazed on all four sides, enveloping users in the surroundings
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