Knoxville Science Museum

For a proposed science museum in Knoxville, Barber McMurry held a design charrette that generated multiple design concepts, exploring the possibilities for how a science museum could function.

Every concept worked from the same set of parameters, including the same site. Every building ranges between two and four stories tall, and include exhibit space, classrooms, an auditorium or amphitheater, learning spaces, and indoor and outdoor dining. Every design included pedestrian access to existing parking garages, plazas, and corridors.

Concept 1

Inspired by Knoxville as a Maker City, this concept incorporates Tennessee marble, patinated metal and a perforated terracotta screen. With three stories of exhibit and learning space, this design also has a two-story maker space with views of downtown. Both the interior and exterior spaces of the building are terraced down the sloped site, eventually breaking into an expansive outdoor lawn — open for outdoor exhibits and events. Inside, an atrium brings in natural light and visually connects all three floors of the museum. Outdoors, a greenhouse on-site allows for agricultural and biological learning opportunities while an indoor-outdoor café has views of downtown, the riverfront, and the mountains.

Concept 2

Honoring East Tennessee’s traditional building materials, this concept incorporates stone, metal and wood into its two-story design. Two major components of this design are the expansive walkable green roof and the glass tower. The living roof allows the building to be constructed into the existing slope of the site. Visitors could walk along the roof, exploring the teaching gardens while looking down into the museum through clerestory skylights. The 200-foot-tall glass tower would have breathtaking panoramic views, and could accommodate a future virtual or augmented reality exhibit.

Concept 3

Influenced by the iconic massing of a TVA structure, this concept is themed around the elements: air, water, earth, fire and void. Constructed of stone, metal and glass, the unique features of this concept include a green roof and social terrace as well as a “treehouse” inspired by the nearly-extinct American chestnut. The building’s four stories divide the exhibit space to inspire exploration of the whole facility. The interior’s multi-story atrium brings in natural light and allows room for full-scale aerial exhibits. Flowing like a river through the site is a wandering pedestrian walkway, which allows access to public and ticketed outdoor exhibit and event spaces. Views from the treehouse and rooftop social terrace are panoramic, reaching all the way to the mountains.