Vilnius STEAM Centre | former Planetarium
Authors
ARCHITECTS OF THE RECONSTRUCTION – Architektūros linija, In Ace, 2025
About
We are sad to announce that due to a fire at the end of April in the Vilnius STEAM Centre, former Planetarium, there will be no excursions.
Vilnius University Planetarium is a distinctive example of late 20th-century modernist architecture, constructed in 1989 based on a design by architect Robertas Stasėnas.
The building’s main feature is a 12.5-meter-diameter dome, beneath which operated the Star Hall, equipped with a projector capable of displaying around 6,000 stars. The planetarium was part of Vilnius University’s Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy, and since 2022, it has been closed for reconstruction.
After the reconstruction, which will be completed in 2025, the building will be reborn as Vilnius University’s Methodological STEAM Education Center. Students will be invited to solve various practical challenges in modern laboratories dedicated to Life Sciences, Chemistry, Physics and Astrophysics, Engineering, Mobile Technologies and Robotics, Digital Fabrication (Fab Lab), Light Technologies, and Visual Programming. In spring 2026, the renovated Star Hall will also reopen its doors.
To preserve the continuity of the building’s historical purpose, the facade will feature integrated lighting that replicates key constellations – symbolizing the unbroken pursuit of science and knowledge, connecting the past with the future. Although the planetarium’s interior spaces have been adapted to serve a new function, the Star Hall remains.
The renovated building, while preserving its authentic architectural and spatial expression, is becoming a new-generation center of science and creativity, inviting visitors on a journey of discovery – from the micro-world to the vastness of the cosmos.