Science Centres: Ecosystems of Knowledge and Fun

Science centers and museums are an interesting approach to gaining new knowledge. They display scientific treasures that shape our world.

Science centers with interactive exhibits let their visitors engage with the items and activities on display allowing social engagement among visitors, promoting creativity, and helping them retain information. Thus, such places can effectively educate visitors in a fun and exciting way.

Interactive science museums and centers are especially important for children as they provide memorable, immersive learning experiences, provoke imagination, introduce unknown worlds and subject matter, and offer unique environments for quality time with family.

They are, specifically, a great resource to familiarize and engage not just children, but also adults and professionals with science, enabling them to gain first-hand experience of scientific phenomena and to develop curiosity, awe, motivation, interest to know more, understanding, and learning.

They are informal learning spaces and an important tool to inspire young people to opt for science-based careers.

Created to bridge the gap between practical sciences and academia, The Dawood Foundation’s (TDF) MagnifiScience Centre (MSC) is Pakistan’s first contemporary and interactive science center that provides a hands-on learning experience through numerous interactive science exhibits, demonstrations, and educational programs.

The MSC is a remarkable addition among the very few functional public spaces of Karachi that offer both knowledge and entertainment for everyone, from young to old.

Along with scientific exhibits and activities, the center also has a beautiful science garden. The ground floor is Kids World Karachi which has features of a Karachi Mohalla (neighborhood), markets, hospital, Sawari Adda (bus stop), and a construction zone.

The first floor is all about the human body, the second floor is about energy, forces, motion, and mathematics, while the science garden hosts a swing section, navigation maze, tree house, and hamster wheel.

The MSC also features installations that highlight the importance of native flora and fauna, educating visitors on the nature’s bounties Pakistan is blessed with.

The MagnifiScience Centre is a custom-design state-of-the-art building spread across four floors. Some of the old designs and materials have been restored that add to the aesthetics of the building.

The major constituent contributing to the feel and ambiance of the museums is the lighting. The lighting of museums and gallery spaces need to highlight and accentuate the texture, color, and shape of exhibits, whether they are science exhibits, historic artifacts, or modern art.

Signify Pakistan Limited, the world’s leading lighting company and formerly known as Philips Pakistan Limited, did the light supply for the TDF MagnifiScience Centre.

Signify skilfully designed and delivered the project in a way that provided the science center with an ambiance that is functional, aesthetic, and easy to navigate for both the customer and the user.

The center required aesthetically oriented lighting that works functionally as well. The entire project was illuminated considering the exhibit’s nature and work so that when people visit the light installations they can connect with lights and explore the lighting.

Illumination in the MSC’s science garden is a prime example of how lighting can bring such a big difference to the aura. Signify has incorporated a lighting technique in the garden that is ideal for the aesthetic of the entire place.

The lighting design was strategized to keep both functionality & aesthetics intact. A few of the exhibits were also designed by Signify so to ensure the synchronicity of the whole project.

While lighting is generally about visibility, it also plays a major role in adding depth and perception – especially in spaces like the TDF’s MagnifiScience Centre where the entire deal is about visual experiences.

Being an innovator in the lighting industry, Signify is a leader in unlocking different potential uses of lights and thus offers a wide array of lights and lighting designs that create a superior quality surrounding.

Keeping these elements in view, the lighting installed by Signify at the MSC efficiently captures the essence of the space.

The indoor lightings give just the right amount of brightness that adds to the overall experience of the visitors while the aesthetic lightings create an aura without taking away too much of their attention from the science installations.

Tracks-based products were utilized for all the exhibits and the functional requirement was delivered through optics variation from one exhibit to the other whereas, WiZ bulbs were used for light-related art installations.

The light art exhibits were designed and created with colors, surfaces, and tones that make the entire concept a truly remarkable one.

The outdoor lighting around the historic boundary walls, and in the Science Garden, contribute to an atmosphere of respect to the past of the venue and give comfort to the entire premises.

Along with providing education and amusement, interactive public spaces play a prime role in socio-cultural engagement.

Our city needs more spaces like these that provide citizens of all demographics and backgrounds a fun and knowledgeable experience in an informal interactive fashion.



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