Practical science

The VIZIUM Science and Innovation Centre in Latvia was designed by Audrius Ambrasas Architects as a merging of landscape and architecture.

Want to ride a rollercoaster, feel the power of an earthquake, whizz along a snowboard track, work in a laboratory or participate in science experiments – but without actually having to do any of those things? Then the VIZIUM Science and Innovation Centre in Ventspils, Latvia, should be your destination.

The first dedicated science centre in the country, which opened for visitors during the summer of 2022 after three years of construction, it aims to introduce a younger generation to the world of science, technology and engineering.

Audrius Ambrasas Architects designed the striking building to blend seamlessly into the landscape, in a way that makes the centre ‘open and inviting’. The building, which is divided into two, is located on the hillside so that it seems to disappear into the horizon. The Science Centre takes up the lower building, while the Innovation Centre takes up six floors of the taller building. The outer facade of the building is coated in a shimmering copper hue, while the interiors are decorated in bold shades of orange, red, brown, black and white. 

The building is host to public spaces such as a café, conference hall and a rooftop terrace, while the open hill space between the two structures, which offers views of the river, can be used as a spot for picnics and outdoor events.

As Latvia’s first dedicated science centre, VIZIUM aims to draw interested visitors from Ventspils and around the world. It focuses on the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), with galleries and exhibitions that capture the attention and interest of young and old alike. It boasts more than eighty exhibits and seven interactive galleries covering sports, smart technology, physics and mathematics, geography and the world, and human and self-perception, and there’s also a children's gallery and a simulator area. 

Visit the VIZIUM website for more information https://inda.ba/3VIzvj0

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Credits: Ventspils Science and Innovation.