HafenCity Hamburg: Architectural Plans Presented for the Science Centre

Architectural plans by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) for the science centre / aquarium / knowledge theatre in the HafenCity complex are sure to attract a great deal of attention and curiosity. Construction will start on the building in the second half of 2009. A science centre, a knowledge theatre and an aquarium under a single roof: this is a unique combination that will draw visitors to Hamburg's HafenCity from across Germany and abroad.
The central element, the science centre, resembles a construction kit of the world: rather than presenting classical scientific disciplines, it deals with phenomena and cross-disciplinary concepts relevant to everyday life – with categories such as “origin”, “lifting”, or “risk”. The building is divided into the following areas by use: approximately 9,500 square metres of gross floor space for the science centre, 1,500 square metres of gross floor space for the knowledge theatre, 6,000 square metres of gross floor space for the aquarium, 900 square metres of  gross floor space for restaurants and 5,500 square metres of gross floor space for offices, utilities, etc. (eap)