Techniquest

Last updated

Techniquest
Techniquest logo.png
Techniquest main entrance.jpg
Techniquest
Established1986
Location Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales
Coordinates 51°27′46″N3°10′04″W / 51.4629°N 3.1677°W / 51.4629; -3.1677
Public transit access Aiga railtransportation 25.svg Cardiff Bay
Aiga bus.svg Cardiff Bus 6 (Baycar), 8, 13
Website Techniquest website

Techniquest is a science discovery centre located in Cardiff Bay, Wales. [1] It gives visitors a hands-on approach to science and includes a science theatre, a planetarium, and an exhibition space with over 100 interactive exhibits aimed at visitors of all ages.

Contents

Techniquest was founded in 1986 by Professor John Beetlestone (1932–2016) and his colleagues from Cardiff University. [2] It previously had a sister venue located in Wrexham, along with locations in Llanberis in Gwynedd, and the Adventure Centre in Narberth, Pembrokeshire.

History of the Cardiff site

Techniquest first opened on 13 November 1986 on the site of the old British Gas showroom on the corner of Duke Street and St John Street. There were 48 exhibits at that time, many of them were designed and built by Techniquest. The former showroom housed the centre for around nine months. Less than seven weeks after it had opened Techniquest had welcomed its ten thousandth visitor. [3]

In 1988 Techniquest re-opened in a pre-fabricated building opposite the now demolished Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum in Bute Street. [3] The two buildings were removed to make way for Mermaid Quay. [4]

They moved again in 1995 about 100 metres along Stuart Street to its present location on the site of the former Baileys engineering workshop which is now its permanent headquarters. [3] The building, the UK's first purpose-built science discovery centre, opened on 1 May 1995. It uses the steel framework of the original building which can be clearly seen on the photograph.

It was once filmed for an episode for the third series of CBBC children's drama programme, The Story of Tracy Beaker .

Activities

Inside Techniquest, Cardiff Bay Inside Techniquest, Cardiff Bay.jpg
Inside Techniquest, Cardiff Bay

Its aims are to engage people with science and to motivate them to learn more; they also address science-related areas such as mathematics, engineering and technology. Techniquest operates exhibitions, shows and programmes intended to make science accessible to people throughout Wales, and to improve the quality of public debate about science and technology. It also offers comprehensive education services to schools and teachers, to complement formal education provision in Wales.

Historically, Techniquest took exhibitions and programmes to special events at many venues around Wales, from shopping centres to major cultural events such as the National Eisteddfod, in addition to further activities through schemes such as Wales Gene Park, mathcymru, Science Café Wales and Teacher Science Network.

To provide this range of experiences, Techniquest maintained an Active Design and development arm, with workshops and facilities, which closed in 2019. It still works with a range of partners and other experts, which included academics, scientists, industry and government, both within Wales and internationally.

In recent times the amount of such outreach work has reduced but the space itself has expanded, thanks to the development of the Science Capital, which has increased the area of the centre by over 60%. The range of exhibits now includes many aimed at older children in addition to many old favourites being retained in the original setting. In order to reach more people across a wider geographical area, Techniquest also now produces digital shows that can be used in classrooms across the whole of Wales.

Funding

As an independent registered educational charity, Techniquest is funded from a variety of sources. Until 2016, the Welsh Government provided approximately 1/3 of the funding, particularly to support schools programmes; at which point this funding was gradually reduced each year. Admission charges are now key to helping meet operating costs, whilst grants and other earned income are also essential to support much of the education and outreach work. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff Bay</span> Area and lake in Cardiff, Wales

Cardiff Bay is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and Ely. The body of water was converted into a 500-acre (2.0 km2) lake as part of a UK Government redevelopment project, involving the damming of the rivers by the Cardiff Bay Barrage in 1999. The barrage impounds the rivers from the Severn Estuary, providing flood defence and the creation of a permanent non-tidal high water lake with limited access to the sea, serving as a core feature of the redevelopment of the area in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wales Millennium Centre</span> Arts centre in Cardiff Bay, Wales

Wales Millennium Centre (WMC) is Wales' national arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of 4.7 acres (1.9 ha). Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrexham University</span> University in north-east Wales

Wrexham University is a public university in the north-east of Wales, with campuses in Wrexham, Northop and St Asaph. It offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as professional courses. The university had 6,045 students in 2019/20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff Metropolitan University</span> University in Cardiff, Wales

Cardiff Metropolitan University, formerly University of Wales Institute, Cardiff and commonly referred to as Cardiff Met, is a university located in the city of Cardiff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Fagans National Museum of History</span> Open-air museum in St Fagans, Cardiff, Wales

St Fagans National Museum of History, commonly referred to as St Fagans after the village where it is located, is an open-air museum in Cardiff chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture, and architecture of the Welsh people. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Science Centre</span>

Glasgow Science Centre is a visitor attraction located in the Clyde Waterfront Regeneration area on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II opened Glasgow Science Centre on 5 July 2001. It is one of Scotland's most popular paid-for visitor attractions. It is a purpose-built science centre composed of three principal buildings: Science Mall, Glasgow Tower and an IMAX cinema. It is a registered charity under Scottish law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff University School of Medicine</span> Medical school in Cardiff, Wales

The Cardiff University School of Medicine is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, it is the oldest of the three medical schools in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverfront Arts Centre</span> Arts centre in Newport, Wales

The Riverfront is the principal and newest theatre and arts centre in the City of Newport. It is located on the west bank of the River Usk on the Bristol Packet Wharf in the city centre. Designed by architectural firm Austin-Smith:Lord, the centre was opened on 23 October 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierhead Building</span> Grade I listed building in Cardiff, Wales

The Pierhead Building is a Grade I listed building in Cardiff Bay, Wales. It was built in 1897 as the headquarters for the Bute Dock Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mermaid Quay</span> Shopping mall in Cardiff, Wales

Mermaid Quay is a waterfront shopping and leisure district in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The 14,000 m2 (150,000 sq ft) development was opened in 1999, and includes restaurants, bars, cafes and shops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberystwyth Arts Centre</span> Arts centre in Aberystwyth, Wales

Aberystwyth Arts Centre is an arts centre in Wales, located on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus. One of the largest in Wales, it comprises a theatre, concert hall, studio and cinema, as well as four gallery spaces and cafés, bars, and shops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hayes</span> Area and street in Cardiff, Wales

The Hayes is a commercial area in the southern city centre of the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Centred on the road of that name leading south towards the east end of the city centre, the area is mostly pedestrianised and is the location of the Hayes Island Snack Bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture and recreation in Cardiff</span> Overview of the culture and recreation possibilities in Cardiff

Cardiff has many cultural sites varying from the historical Cardiff Castle and out of town Castell Coch to the more modern Wales Millennium Centre and Cardiff Bay. Cardiff was a finalist in the European Capital of Culture 2008.

<i>Doctor Who</i> exhibitions Displays of television memorabilia

Since the first broadcast of the British science-fiction television serial Doctor Who in 1963, there have been a number of exhibitions of props, costumes and sets relating to the show throughout the United Kingdom. Some have been intended to be permanent, and others seasonal; most have been staged at existing tourist locations. None are currently open to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Cardiff</span> Museum in Cardiff documenting its history

The Museum of Cardiff is a museum in Cardiff, Wales that exhibits the history of the city. The museum opened on 1 April 2011 and entrance is free. The museum has a collection of 3,000 objects and Cardiff-related artefacts, many donated from Cardiff residents and communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roath Lock</span> Television production studio in Cardiff, Wales

BBC Roath Lock Studios is a television production studio that houses BBC drama productions including Doctor Who, Casualty, and Pobol y Cwm. The centre topped out on 20 February 2011 and filming for such productions commenced in autumn of the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art in Cardiff</span> Overview of visual arts of Cardiff, UK

Art in Cardiff refers to the culture of visual arts in Cardiff, capital city of Wales. The visual arts in Cardiff have a much more recent history than many British cities, due to it being a very small town until rapid growth took place in the mid nineteenth century. Cardiff School of Art originated in 1865 and the first major public art exhibition took place in 1870. The town became a city in 1905, after which time it gained further importance, for example with the creation of a new National Museum. Into the 21st century it has a thriving art scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Library, Cardiff</span> Building in Cardiff, Wales

The Old Library is a Grade II* listed building in Cardiff, Wales. It is located in the centre of the city at the northern end of The Hayes. Originally the Cardiff Free Library, it was used as the city's Central Library until it was replaced in 1988. It has been used for other purposes since that time and is currently the home of the Cardiff Story museum and Menter Caerdydd, a community-based Menter Iaith organisation which works to raise the profile of the Welsh language in Cardiff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre</span> Astronomy center

The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre is an astronomy centre located at the site of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Headquarters in Garching bei München. It offers exhibitions, guided tours and planetarium shows that feature observations made by the telescopes of the European Southern Observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xplore!</span> Science centre in Wrexham, Wales

Xplore! Science Discovery Centre, branded simply as Xplore!, is a science centre in Wrexham, Wales. It is currently based between Henblas Street and Chester Street in Wrexham city centre. Formerly known as Techniquest@NEWI and Techniquest Glyndŵr, as a sister venue to Cardiff's Techniquest, it was housed on Wrexham University's Plas Coch campus from 2003 until its relocation in 2020. The centre is operated by North Wales Science, a charity wholly owned by Wrexham University.

References

  1. 1 2 "How is Techniquest funded?". Techniquest. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  2. ↑ "Techniquest founder Prof John Beetlestone dies aged 84". BBC News. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Techniquest at 21". BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  4. ↑ "Maritime museum 'put on hold'". BBC. 31 January 2001. Retrieved 21 February 2008.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Techniquest at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.