Site Analysis for Innovation Center in Kaunas, Lithuania:
How much thought do you put into site analysis during your design process? For many, it can feel like just another technical task to tick off the list, but for me, it’s one of the key elements that shapes a successful project.
Every site has its own set of challenges, no matter how straightforward the design might seem. We’re constantly dealing with things like setbacks, height limits, building-to-area ratios, parking, zoning requirements—the list goes on. But instead of viewing these as restrictions, I like to think of them as opportunities to refine and improve the design.
Take a project I worked on in Kaunas, Lithuania—an Innovation Center. The site was massive, way bigger than the 14,000 m² building itself. The first big question was: where do we place the building?
We took a democratic approach by placing the building in the center, giving equal access from the existing footpaths to the north and south. But that led to more questions:
a. What if the northern side has more foot traffic than the south?
b. What if new roads or infrastructure, like a bridge, changes the flow?
Rather than trying to predict all future developments, we focused on the current conditions. We connected the building to the existing pathways without disrupting the natural flow of the park, and the design ended up enhancing public activity around the site rather than dominating it.
For me, site analysis goes way beyond just following regulations. It’s about truly understanding the present and designing with flexibility for the future, while respecting the context of the space.
Love to hear how others approach this; how do you handle these kinds of challenges in your own projects?
for more detail, please click the link : Innovation Center | Science Museum
