The "Mokslo sala" science and innovation center being built in Kaunas, Lithuania is a unique and iconic building that will feature a range of cutting-edge exhibitions, facilities, and amenities. The building's exterior will be dominated by concrete and glass, while a significant portion of the roof will be landscaped and walkable. The entrance to the museum will be accentuated by a 21-meter-diameter "disc" that is likely to be the most expensive part of the structure, and will be supported by specially made metal beams.
Inside the building, visitors will be able to explore permanent and changing exhibitions, STEAM laboratories, virtual projection spaces, and a modern museum. In addition to these areas, the building will also feature cafes, conference halls, and an administrative area. The entire structure will be constructed four meters underground, with a planetarium located on the lowest premises.
Peikko Lietuva, through its Senior Structural Engineer, Evaldas Makaveckas, has been instrumental in the construction of the "Mokslo sala." The building has a single floor with a total area of 11523 m² and a volume of 84437 m³, and a height of 7.3 m. Peikko has designed and manufactured the DELTABEAM®, composite round-section columns, steel beam composite caisson, and various other products such as free movement joints, slab hangers, anchors bolts, and fastening plates.
Most of the building's columns in the "Mokslo sala" science and innovation center were designed and manufactured by Peikko using composite round-section columns. This solution was chosen to meet architectural requirements, including the need for a smaller column cross-section and longer column length. In total, 99 composite columns were used in the construction. The longest columns, designed for a single-story building, are 8.3 meters in length and have a diameter of 273 mm.
The DELTABEAM® composite multi-span beams were designed with hinged connections and single-span beams with bolted and welded end connections. These beams have varying heights of 320, 400, and 500 mm and a total length of 534 meters, with 55 units in total.
In addition to the DELTABEAM® and composite columns, Peikko has designed and manufactured a steel beam composite caisson from I section beams for the "Mokslo sala" science and innovation center. The largest beam cross-section is HEB1000 with a distance between the supports of 23.7 m and a total weight of 191 tons.
The bolted and welded connection joint variants were analyzed, and the welded solution was chosen due to its required high stiffness and small permissible deflection according to architectural requirements. A special primer was applied to the ends of the I section beams in the workshop to eliminate the need for removing primer on the construction site prior to welding. The total length of welds on the site was nearly 0.5 km, with additional holes drilled for tight clamping of the beams before welding on site and lifting loops designed for lifting.
Steel studs were welded to the top of the I section beams to facilitate concrete and steel interaction. Other Peikko products such as free movement joints TERAJOINT®, slab hangers PETRA®, anchor bolts HPM®, and fastening plates WELDA® were also produced and applied for this project.
In conclusion, the "Mokslo sala" science and innovation center is a unique and technologically advanced building that will offer visitors a range of exciting exhibitions and amenities. The building's construction has been facilitated by Peikko Lietuva's contribution of innovative design and manufacturing solutions, and the building is sure to be a source of pride for Kaunas and the entirety of Europe.
