Science and Knowledge

The Pavilion of Knowledge – Living Science is an interactive museum that was created with the goal of fostering knowledge and disseminating technological and scientific culture. To achieve this goal, various exhibitions and activities have been set up so that visitors can actively explore a variety of themes in a relaxing and fun atmosphere.

The building which houses the museum was designed by architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça to be used as the Knowledge of the Seas Pavilion at the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition (Expo '98) and it was one of the most-visited venues at the event. This work resulted in Carrilho da Graça winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 1999 FAD awards in Barcelona, in recognition of the high standard of his architectural design that combined simplicity and complexity in a single space.

In the words of the architect himself, the Pavilion's overall design, which he describes as megalithic, results from the combination of two structures, one vertical and the other horizontal. However, while the vertical component rests directly on the ground, the horizontal one does not. From a tectonic point of view, shape and construction are combined to produce a building that also signifies permanence, which has always been one of the basic concepts of architecture.