Science Gateway, an education facility at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, has opened to the public.
Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Science Gateway’s tubular structure is inspired by the shape of CERN’s particle accelerators.
The project is divided into five zones housing three exhibition areas, two laboratories and a 900-seat auditorium that can be reconfigured depending on requirements. It will also include a shop and the Big Bang Café.
The Gateway’s transparent glass panels and bridges represent CERN’s open attitude to science, culture and the transfer of knowledge.
The carbon neutral building is clad in 4,000 sq m of solar panels, and 400 trees were planted around the campus.
Renzo Piano said: “This will be a place where people meet: kids, students, adults, teachers and scientists, everybody attracted by the exploration of the universe, from the infinitely vast to the infinitely small. It is a bridge, in both a metaphorical and a real sense.
“This building is fed by the energy of the sun, landed in the middle of a newly grown forest.”
The centre is expected to attract 500,000 visitors a year. It is free to enter and open six days a week.
