Dundee Science Centre will re-open this weekend after a £2.1 million refurbishment.
The entire downstairs of the science centre has had a makeover, making it fully accessible.
Staff said the extent of the changes meant is was almost a brand new visitor attraction with even more for families to do.
Rebecca Duncan, head of development at the science centre said: “We have spent the last few months redeveloping the whole of the ground floor.
“We worked on this project with our assisted needs advisory panel and our early years advisory panel, to redevelop the ground floor.
“We have a new welcome area, new exhibitions, brand new provision for early years and our coffee shop has been completely redesigned as well.”
Accessibility
During the development, Rebecca said the science centre wanted to focus on becoming as accessible as possible.
They took in a range of view from groups including Advocating Together, Capability Scotland, Dundee and Angus ADHD Support Group, Dundee Voluntary Action – Mental Health, PAMIS, Scottish Autism, Tayside Deaf Hub and Blind Society.
Rebecca said: “For us, we’ve really focused on becoming a lot more accessible for a whole range of different audiences.
“We identified barriers to engagement, physical barriers that we’ve overcome through our design process and we’ve involved a whole load of different advisory panels, in the design process.
“We have a new sensory zone, changing places toilet and loads of different parts of the exhibition that are now accessible for all.”
The science centre will be a bit different when it reopens, with pre-booking required for either a morning or afternoon session.
Staff will also give the centre a deep clean in between each session.
As part of its 21st birthday celebrations, the centre has also reduced its entry costs, making the attraction more affordable while helping the local economy grow.
Talking about the pandemic, Rebecca said: “We had to change from our face to face engagement, to online with a home learning programme.
“We also developed a whole host of community kits for people who were unable to get online and these had activity packs for people to carry out activities as a family or just by themselves to give the parents a bit of breathing space.
“But we’re now excited to bring it all back in to the centre.”
Refurbishment
She added: “We’re really excited about the reopening this Saturday.
“We’ve had a few groups come in, in the lead up. We’ve had our schools programme running and a communities weekend where we’ve had lots of our groups who we designed the centre with come in and experience it.
“So we can’t wait for the public to come back in when we open our doors on Saturday.”
Isabel Bruce OBE, chief executive of Dundee Science Centre said: “As we celebrate our 21st birthday, we are proudly unveiling what is essentially a brand new visitor attraction in the city.
“As Scotland prepares to open up after undoubtedly the most challenging period in our history, we are cutting our entry prices to make it more affordable for all, presenting a brilliant, hands-on attraction for families and a key stopping point in any family’s day out or weekend away.”
Tourism
John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council added: “I’m absolutely delighted to see this major refurbishment of Dundee Science Centre come to fruition.
“The re-opening comes at an exciting time for the city and Scotland as a whole and provides yet another asset within Dundee’s impressive tourism offering as the country gradually re-opens for business.
“Of course, as a father-of-two, it’s wonderful to see that the centre hasn’t forgotten the families on its doorstep, providing some fantastic activities and resources for people right here in Dundee, connecting communities and enhancing our education provision locally.
“It’s also encouraging to see the centre’s growing emphasis on sustainability, really drilling down to the ways people of all ages can do their bit to reduce waste and carbon footprint.”
Dundee Science Centre is open daily from 10am until 5pm from Saturday June 26. Tickets must be booked in advance.
For more information and to book, visit http://www.dundeesciencecentre.org.uk/