The Natural Science Center

SCIENCE ON DISPLAY If we want to keep the innovation going and our livelihood improving, we need more people to study natural science. The Natural Science Center in Bjerringbro designed by Nord Architects takes on the challenge of making young people interested in the natural sciences by giving a setting to develop new methods of teaching natural science and broaden the teachers’ scope: “Many young people write off natural science, because they have experienced old fashioned teaching in worn out classrooms, a grey-haired man exploding something into the air. But natural science is much more than mixing liquids and getting strange results, natural science is also knowing how a nuclear plant works. It affects society immensely and once you get this point through – especially to the young women they take more interest.” At the Natural Science Center teachers can meet and exchange knowledge of teaching methods, get valuable new education as well as teach their pupils in a different setting. A number of businesses working within the natural science field are affiliated to the center, which makes the teaching more connected to the things going on outside the classroom. To make the building an open learning platform Nord Architects has designed it with visible installations: “The idea is to show how a building works. By making the installations fully visible the pupils can study them and learn about the different elements that make up a building. With ceilings of stretch metal all fire, acoustics, electricity and IT installations behind the ceilings are fully visible.” In designing the house Nord Architects has collaborated with different producers to get innovative products and technologies in to the house and make it a showcase for den newest technology.