Techniquest

Techniquest is a science and discovery centre in Cardiff Bay, Wales. There are also centres in Wrexham, Llanberis, and Oakwood Theme Park.

Techniquest was first established in Cardiff in 1986. Techniquest gives visitors a hands-on approach to science and includes a science theatre, a planetarium, and a discovery centre.

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 old showroom was only used as temporary accommodation to house the centre for a couple of months. Less than seven weeks after it had opened Techniquest had welcomed its ten thousandth visitor.cite web |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/cardiff/pages/techniquest07.shtml |publisher= BBC |title= Techniquest at 21 |accessdate=2008-02-21]

In 1987 they moved to another temporary building opposite the now demolished Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum in Bute Street. The two buildings were removed to make way for Mermaid Quay.cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1146876.stm|publisher= BBC |title= Maritime museum 'put on hold'|accessdate=2008-02-21]

They moved yet again in 1995 by about 100 metres along Stuart Street to its present location on the site of a former engineering workshop which is now its permanent headquarters. It uses the steel framework of the original building which can be clearly seen on the photograph, with the gray steel girders.

Activities

Its aims are to engage people with science and to motivate them to learn more and they also address science-related areas such as maths, 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.

Techniquest takes exhibitions and programmes to special events at many venues around Wales, from shopping malls to major cultural events such as the National Eisteddfod. It also offer comprehensive education services for schools, plus further activities through schemes such as Wales Gene Park, mathcymru, Science Café Wales and Teacher Science Network.

To provide this range of experiences, Techniquest maintains an active design and development arm, with excellent workshops and facilities. It also work with a range of partners and other experts, which include academics, scientists, industry and government, both within Wales and internationally.

Funding

As an independent registered educational charity, Techniquest is funded from a variety of sources. The Welsh Assembly Government provides approximately 1/3rd of the funding, particularly to support schools programmes. Admission charges help to meet operating costs, whilst grants and other earned income are also essential. They are currently seeking £12m of capital funding to develop their sites and services over the next 5 years.cite web |url= http://www.techniquest.org/about/ |publisher=Techniquest |title= How is Techniquest funded? |accessdate=2008-02-21]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.techniquest.org/start/ Techniquest web page]