Birmingham Science Garden attracts £500,000 grant

BIRMINGHAM’S scientific, manufacturing and transport heritage is to be commemorated in a new facility at the Thinktank, based in Birmingham Science Museum.

The museum has received £500,000 from the Wellcome Trust to help support the development of a new £2.6m Science Garden.

The Science Garden, which is set to open in June 2012, will be a 2,750m2 outdoor space located at the front of Thinktank, focusing on the city’s great industrial achievements.

The garden will encourage visitors of all ages to get ‘bodies on’ with large scale exhibits and to explore some of the key science and engineering principles that shape the modern world.

Working in close collaboration with Birmingham City Council, the Science Garden, below, will form part of the Eastside City Park, the first major new city centre park in Birmingham for more than 100 years.

Visitors will be able to harness natural energy to power a central water fountain in the garden area; work together to fuel an 8m high ‘Terminus’ machine to set off dancing balls, whistles and smoke in ‘The Factory’; and explore efficient vehicle design in ‘The Street’.
In addition to these interactive exhibits there will be an area specially designed for under 7s, an outdoor classroom and meeting space, and a refreshment kiosk.

The Science Garden will be unique to the UK, building on the success of the few science gardens around the world, such as that in the New York Hall of Science and Danfoss Universe in Denmark.

Cllr Len Clark, chairman of Thinktank Trust, said: “We are truly grateful to the Wellcome Trust for their generosity in supporting our new Science Garden.

“We are now working with contractors on the design and construction of the large-scale exhibits and look forward to opening this new addition to the museum next year.

“The City Park will transform the Eastside of Birmingham, and this Science Garden is going to be an extraordinary feature of the new public space.”

Work on the project starts in August.