Glasgow Science Centre is a visitor attraction located in the Clyde Waterfront Regeneration area on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II opened Glasgow Science Centre on 5 June 2001. It is one of Britain's most popular places to visit. It is a purpose-built science centre composed of three principal buildings which are the Science Mall, Glasgow Tower and an IMAX cinema. The Scottish tourist board, VisitScotland, awarded Glasgow Science Centre a five star rating in the visitor attraction category. As well as its main location, Glasgow Science Centre also manages the visitor centre at Whitelee Wind Farm, which opened to the public in 2009.
Science Mall. The largest of the three main, titanium-clad buildings takes a crescent shape structure and houses a Science Mall. In architectural terms it represents the canted hull of a ship, a reference to the adjacent 'canting basin', where vessels were brought to have the marine growth removed from their hulls. Internally, there are three floors of over 250 science-learning exhibits. As is usual for science centres, the exhibits aim to encourage interaction, and can be used or played with as part of the informal learning experience the centre aims to deliver. The building was designed by BDP. On Floor 1, amongst the many interactive exhibits that demonstrate scientific principles, visitors can access a Science Show Theatre and the Glasgow Science Centre Planetarium. The planetarium contains a Zeiss optical-mechanical projector that projects images of the night sky onto a 15m diameter dome. There is an area specifically aimed at young children called, The Big Explorer. On Floor 2, visitors can explore opportunities in STEM careers in the My World of Work Live interactive exhibition space. There's more than 60 interactive exhibits to enthuse and inspire minds of all ages in the Powering the Future exhibition. Challenge your ideas on how we can all contribute to meet ever increasing energy demands without breaking the bank or damaging the environment. Highlight include: the chance to feel the force of wind in a hurricane booth, find out what happens in a nuclear chain reaction or crank the handles to generate enough power to race around a Scalextric track against friends and family! You'll discover the multitude of ways we can harness energy and reveal the benefits and limits of different sources.There is also The Lab, primarily used as an educational workshop space. Floor 3 was refurbished in 2012 and reopened to the public on 28 March 2013. It now houses an interactive exhibition about human health and wellbeing in the 21st century called, BodyWorks. Visitors are invited to consider their bodies, health and lifestyle from a new perspective through 115 interactive exhibits, research capsules and live laboratory experiences.
The Ground Floor of the Science Mall contains the Ticket desk, Cafes, Gift Shop, and a cloakroom. There are a number of flexible room spaces on the Ground Floor that are used for a variety of educational and corporate purposes: an education space called, The Egg; a lecture-theatre space called, The Auditorium; and The Clyde Suite. Access to Glasgow Tower for the public is also via the Ground Floor. At 127 metres (417 ft), the Glasgow Tower is currently the tallest tower in Scotland, and since late 2015 following the demolition of both the Red Road Flats and the Bluevale and Whitevale Towers the structure is now the tallest in all of Glasgow. It holds a Guinness World Record for being the tallest tower in the world in which the whole structure is capable of rotating 360 degrees. The whole structure rests upon a 65-centimetre-diameter (26 in) thrust bearing, and is connected to its foundations by two concentric rings and shock absorbers. The thrust bearing itself rests in a 15-metre-deep (49 feet) caisson. This is to allow the building to rotate under computer control to face into the wind. The tower has two lifts each with a 12-person capacity, but for reasons of comfort, this is normally limited to 6 guests plus a single member of staff. There is also an emergency staircase, comprising 523 stairs from the Cabin level to the Podium.
The IMAX cinema was the first IMAX cinema to be built in Scotland. The single auditorium seats 370 in front of a rectangular screen measuring 25 m by 18.9 m and has the capability to show 3D films as well as standard 2D films in IMAX format. It opened to the public in October 2000 Premiered The First Film Entitled "Dolphins", several months prior to the opening of the two other buildings. On 6 September 2013, Cineworld agreed a 10-year lease to operate the IMAX cinema and opened a Starbucks on site. Ample parking is available for mobility-impaired visitors. The main entrances and exit to Glasgow Science Centre are wheel chair accessible. Wheelchairs are available from the Ticket Desk. Please ask a member of GSC staff if you require a manual wheelchair for the duration of your visit to the Centre. Fully accessible toilets and baby changing areas are available within all areas: Science Mall– Ground Floor, Floor 2 and Floor 3; IMAX- Ground Floor. Facilities are available for heating baby food and drinks in our main café and highchairs are available for families with young children. All lifts within the Science Mall can accommodate 1 wheelchair (up to Class 2) and 1 carer. In the seated theatre spaces within the Centre, there are spaces allocated for wheelchair users. Induction Loops are available in the IMAX cinema, Front Desk, Auditorium and Science Show Theatre. Please switch Hearing Aids to the ‘T’ position to use this facility. 10 individual hearing loops are available on request for visitors in The Planetarium. All paying visitors who require special assistance are offered free admission for their carer to all areas. Assistance dogs are welcome.
Location : Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow G51 1EA
Transport: Exhibition Centre (National Rail) then 12 minutes. Bus Routes : Stagecoach X19, First Bus No 90, McGill's Bus 23 and 26 stop outside.
Opening Times : October 1st to March 31st, Wednesday to Friday, 10:00 to 15:00; Weekends 10:00 to 17:00
Opening Times : April 1st to September 30th, Daily, 10:00 to 17:00
Tickets Science Mall : Adults $11.00; Concession £9.00; Children (3 - 15) £9.00
Tickets Add-ons : Planetarium £3.00; IMAX £2.50; Glasgow Tower £3.50
Tickets : Planetarium £5.50; Glasgow Tower £6.50
Tel. : 0141 420 5000
