renzo piano's mountain-like MUSE opens in trentino

renzo piano’s mountain-like MUSE opens in trentino
photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

the new science museum of trento, italy, dubbed MUSE and designed by renzo piano will open its doors tomorrow after a full week of 24-hour programming. the 12,000 square meter space is dedicated to exploring the relationship of man and environment in myriad ways. six floors retrace the full natural history of both the alpine region and the rest of the world, beginning with a small-scale, immersive re-creations of the world’s biomes, meandering through publicly accessible research labs and ending with a slew of didatic showcases. MUSE will be host to the alpine region’s largest dinosaur exhibition a museum inextricably linked to its site, MUSE will extensively explore the formation of the dolomites and the birth of the alps– facets of the programming expressed in both the form and tectonic makeup of the architecture. steeply angled, glazed roof plates recall the profiles of nearby mountains. the dialogue of nature and technological development is also mirrored in the building’s expertly composed masses and voids that allow exhibits to remain otherworldly and immersive while crisp, white volumes and ample glazing tie in advanced 360 degree projection and interactive digital features. aside from interiors characteristically illuminated by diffused sunlight,  locally sourced materials, a low-impact tectonic palette that includes bamboo cladding and a cistern system for rainwater recovery are part of a greater plan to achieve LEED gold status. the museum will also employ a reatracable shading system, solar panels and geothermal probes. MUSE is a testament to the wonders of the earth-forged built form and the life such forces begot– and the building is an appropriate response of streamlined horizontal planes and abstracted masses to house the important repository of knowledge.

photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

photo: claudia corrent
image © museo delle scienze

photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

photo: alessandro gadotti, archivio trento futura
image © museo delle scienze

photo: claudia corrent
image © museo delle scienze

photo: claudia corrent
image © museo delle scienze