Science and Technology Centre

It is hard to imagine a more authentic environment in which the Science and Technology Centre educational project could develop better. This is because it is located in an authentic environment in which coal was mined and coke and crude iron produced for almost two centuries. And not only that & it is also in an environment where crude iron was refined into steel and where the steel was used to manufacture high-end engineering products for heavy machinery. In fact, it is in an environment where top engineering production has been preserved and developed in a sophisticated manner into a progressive and sustainable form. All this in a region which still has a reputation across middle Europe is a unique industrial area and which also abounds with the beauties of nature. And in addition, it is located in a region with ten million people, in a region which brings together three nationalities & Polish, Slovak and Czech. The Science and Technology Centre is located close to the Lower Area of Vítkovice European Cultural Heritage in Ostrava. It is part of a comprehensive educational complex which also consists of the Energy Central Station, the Hlubina mine buildings and the technical metallurgical facilities. STC includes indoor spaces with didactic thematic expositions that provide a comprehensive educational program for elementary and secondary school students as well as the general public. The five permanent exhibitions are the World of Nature, the World of Technology, the World of Civilization, the World of Science and Discovery and the World of Technology for Kids. The building also houses a cinema theatre offering three-dimensional films, classrooms, seminar rooms, a lecture hall, a theatre hall and an outdoor exhibition in a garden. The position and shape of the sprawling building with an isosceles triangle layout and a rounded corner are based on the rectangular grid of the master plan for the Lower Area of Vítkovice. The main façade of mirrored glass, turned 45 degrees in relation to the grid, reflects the individual buildings of the industrial area when viewed from the north and a park that is emerging north of the building when viewed from the blast furnaces. A single image thus combines two basic ideological principles of the structure & nature and technological civilization.

The entrance is recessed into the ground and is accessible via the equestrian staircase in the large space in front of the building. The roof garden over the entrance, accessible from the first aboveground storey, is part of the exposition dedicated to nature. The interior gives the impression of a solid shell which opens up the spectacular scenery of the industrial complex. The central theme of the exposition is energy and everything related to energy, because 'we can do almost anything, but everything has a price.' The environment of an industrial colossus is a better venue than other places for illustrating how technologies influence the shape of civilization.

The aim is to showcase several themes important for the navigating through the world with the help of rich illustrations and structured and easy-to-understand comments that aim to attract, entertain and educate. To demythologize science, to show that the individual and the humankind acquire knowledge through mistakes and that certainties still need to be re-examined. The central exposition is titled the World of Nature, whose ambition is to provide the basic principles of physics, chemistry and biology. The topics are arranged into exhibition items that are shaped like the Euler (or also Cornu) spiral or clothoid. The elements of which the individual items & clothoids & are made up can be easily replaced in the course of time.