Today, CERN held a ‘first stone’ ceremony for Science Gateway, CERN’s new visitors centre. CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti and architect Renzo Piano, together with representatives from CERN Member States and many other partners, marked the successful start of the construction.
“We want the CERN Science Gateway to inspire all those who come to visit with the beauty and values of science,” said Fabiola Gianotti during her opening speech.
It will be an iconic, sustainable building with plenty of space for exhibitions, public labs, a large auditorium, and numerous other interactive education and outreach opportunities. “We will build a place of exchange and knowledge,” says Renzo Piano about this ambitious project.
The Science Gateway is scheduled to open in 2023. Hundreds of thousands of visitors per year will then be able to go on a captivating journey through the science, the discoveries and the technology at CERN. With the Science Gateway, CERN is increasing its capacity to welcome visitors of all ages, with a special focus on younger generations, whom CERN wants to enthuse about science and research.
Two of the large interiors for the exhibitions will be developed by the Utrecht-based design bureau Tinker imagineers in cooperation with other parties. They will create a room about the history of the universe, and one about the unsolved mysteries in physics. Visitors are offered a total experience through objects, virtual reality, images and sound.
Source: CERN Press Release