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Techniquest, Cardiff

Techniquest
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Space for learning is the outcome of a major piece of collaborative research undertaken for a partnership that included the Arts Councils of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Clore Duffield foundation, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, DCMS, CABE and the Design Commission for Wales.
    It is a handbook that gives guidance, based on case studies throughout the UK, on the design of education spaces in museums,historic buildings, heritage sites and discovery centres. The aim is to ensure the creation of "high-quality, desirable spaces for learners of all ages, whatever the budget".
   It is a practical guide to working with architects and designers on such projects, and includes a directory of organisations, including the Design Commission, that can provide information and advice to new projects.
   The researcher, Rick Rogers, struggled to find exemplar spaces to highlight best practice. Many existing examples are inadequate or unsatisfactory, and "few realise their full potential as learning environments". The report argues that the poor location, design and build quality of education spaces reflects the general lack of status of education as a discipline within museum and other heritage and discovery sites. It suggests that education is too often seen as a marketing tool rather than "a core service".
   Nonetheless, there are eleven case studies that illustrate the quality that can be achieved, preceded by sections drawing on the practical lessons of the many projects that were studied in the course of the research and dealing with issues such as location and dimensions, new technologies, and storage and display,
   Three Welsh sites were included in the research — Blaenafon's Big Pit, the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth, and Techniquest, Cardiff. Techniquest is one of the published case studies.
    The two-page, illustrated study discusses the project background and budget, analyses the development process and discusses the outcome, with an emphasis on lessons learned and key factors making for success. Opened on its current site — redeveloped from a 19th-century dockland engineering works — in 1995, Techniquest was the first purpose-built science discovery centre in Britain. The report concludes that the building is well-laid out and adaptable, the outcome of a process that was a modelf for architect-client co-operation. Some compromises are noted in the detailed fittings, and the white finish and high level of glass means it is hard to keep clean. There is pressure on space, particularly for offices and storage.
    This 48-page, large format publication is an essential resource for education projects large or small. Print copies are a mere £5; it can be downloaded freely from the project partners' web sites.

01.06.2004