Glasgow Science Centre facts for kids
Glasgow Science Centre and Glasgow Tower, the tallest structure in Scotland
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| Established | 2001 |
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| Location | Glasgow, Scotland |
The Glasgow Science Centre is a super cool place to visit in Glasgow, Scotland. It sits right on the south bank of the River Clyde. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it on July 5, 2001. It's one of Scotland's most popular places to visit!
This special science centre has three main buildings. These are the Science Mall, the Glasgow Tower, and an IMAX cinema. It's also a charity, which means it's run to help people learn, not to make money.
VisitScotland, which is Scotland's tourist board, gave the Glasgow Science Centre a top five-star rating. This shows how great it is for visitors. The Science Centre also helps run the visitor centre at Whitelee Wind Farm. This centre opened in 2009.
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A Look Back: How It Started
The Glasgow Science Centre opened its doors in June 2001. It's part of a big plan to make the Pacific Quay area new again. This area used to be a busy cargo port called Prince's Dock.
The big changes for the area began with the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988. After the festival, the land was meant to be used for new homes. But plans changed, and much of the area stayed empty for years. Eventually, parts of the land were used for the Science Centre. New buildings for BBC Scotland and Scottish Television also opened nearby.
The architects who designed the Glasgow Science Centre were from Building Design Partnership. The Glasgow Tower was designed by Richard Horden. Building the centre cost about £75 million. A lot of this money, over £37 million, came from the Millennium Commission.
Exploring the Science Mall
The Science Mall is the biggest building at the centre. It's shaped like a crescent moon and covered in shiny titanium. Inside, you'll find three floors packed with over 250 science exhibits. These exhibits are designed for you to touch, play with, and learn from. It's all about hands-on learning!
First Floor Fun
On the first floor, you can find many interactive exhibits. These show how different science ideas work. You can also visit the Science Show Theatre for exciting live demonstrations. Don't miss the Glasgow Science Centre Planetarium! It uses a special digital system to show amazing images on a huge 15-metre dome. There's also a special area for younger children called The Big Explorer.
Second Floor Discoveries
The second floor lets you explore how energy powers our lives. You can also learn how we can live in a more eco-friendly way. This is part of the 'Powering the Future' exhibition. There's also the Idea No59 exhibition, which celebrates new ideas. The Lab is also on this floor. It's mainly used for fun educational workshops.
Third Floor: BodyWorks
The third floor was updated in 2012 and reopened in 2013. It now has an exciting exhibition called BodyWorks. This area is all about human health and how our bodies work. You can explore 115 interactive exhibits. There are also research capsules and live lab experiences.
Ground Floor Welcome
The ground floor of the Science Mall is where you'll find the ticket desk. There are also cafes and a gift shop. You can also find flexible rooms here for events and learning. These include The Bothy and the Clyde Suite. From the ground floor, you can also get to the Glasgow Tower and the IMAX cinema.
Glasgow Tower: A Sky-High View
The Glasgow Tower was built to be the tallest tower in the world that can spin all the way around. It had some problems when it first opened in 2001. It was even closed for a long time, from August 2010 until July 2014. But now it's open again for visitors to enjoy amazing views!
IMAX Cinema: Big Screen Fun
The IMAX cinema at the Science Centre was the first one built in Scotland. It has one big screen that is 80 feet wide and 60 feet tall. There are 370 seats for people to watch movies. It can show both 2D and 3D films in the special IMAX format.
The cinema first opened in October 2000. It showed its first film, "Dolphins," even before the other two buildings opened. For a while, another company ran the cinema. But now, the Glasgow Science Centre runs it again. The IMAX theatre reopened on May 5, 2022.
Science in the Media
The Glasgow Science Centre is in the Pacific Quay area. This area is also home to many media centres. These include the new headquarters for STV and BBC Pacific Quay. Because of this, you might see more TV shows filmed around the Science Centre.
For example, in the CBeebies TV show Nina and the Neurons, the main character Nina works at the Glasgow Science Centre. Nina is played by actress Katrina Bryan.
See also
- Dynamic Earth - Science Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland
- Aberdeen Science Centre - Science Centre in Aberdeen, Scotland
- Dundee Science Centre - Science Centre in Dundee, Scotland
- List of science centers#Europe
