Opened to the public in 2004, the Universe Box Science Museum in Barcelona has been described as "one of the best, most technologically advanced and authentic science museums in Europe" (Figure 1). The venue has the characteristics of a nature museum that collects fossils and presents the rainforest to tell the story of history, and it also has the characteristics of a science center that explores the principles of science. It can be said that in today's era of gradual refinement of discipline research, the Cosmic Box Science and Technology Museum boldly tries to weaken the boundaries between chemistry disciplines and "realistically" presents the science behind the endless earth's biosphere.
Figure 1. Exterior of the Cosmos Box Science and Technology Museum in Barcelona
Different from ordinary museums, the Universe Box Science and Technology Museum is built on Tibidabo Mountain, from the outside, there is only one floor, but after entering, you will find that there is a universe inside, and there are five floors underground. The first floor of the ground floor is the audience reception center, and the fifth floor of the basement is a café, a planetarium, a biology education area, a conference room, and a large classroom. In addition to the biology education activity area and the large classroom, which are relatively separate areas, the other parts of the five basement floors are connected to form the main exhibition hall of the museum, including a 3,500-square-meter thematic exhibition area and a 1,000-square-meter Amazon rainforest greenhouse.
Tell the story of nature one by one
When you enter the Science and Technology Museum, the first thing that catches your eye is the huge tree roots hanging from the building (Fig. 2). Starting from this specimen of the root, which symbolizes the "tree of life", you will enter the main exhibition hall along the spiral ramp. The main exhibition hall is very large and has four themes: inanimate exhibition area, life exhibition area, wisdom exhibition area and human civilization exhibition area. The word "real" is everywhere here. The Lifeless Exhibit showcases rocks that actually exist in nature and record what life looked like on Earth before it appeared.
The life exhibition area displays the earth's living materials, including seeds, conches and other fossil objects that show biodiversity. In the smart exhibition area, visitors can see the physical changes from the first generation of mobile phones to the latest mobile phones, and see how inventions such as motorcycles and robotic arms have changed the way of life of human beings. The Human Civilization Exhibition highlights the inextricable connection between human civilization and the natural world. When multiple shells are arranged in a wavy shape and displayed side by side with a metal chain, it is not difficult to see that many of the design ideas of human beings are derived from nature. These authentic objects are a testament to the miraculous power of nature and the wisdom of human beings to study nature and engage in creative activities.
Figure 2. Tree roots in the public space of the building
Showcasing the most authentic rainforest ecosystem
The Rainforest exhibit is perhaps the most authentic and vivid part of the Universe Box Science Museum (Figure 3). This 1,000-square-meter tropical rainforest greenhouse was transplanted into the museum many years ago when the builders of the museum traveled to Brazil to select a suitable area in the Amazon rainforest and transplant it into the science museum. As a stand-alone exhibit, it showcases the rainforest ecosystem to the public in its most authentic form. Not only the trees of the entire rainforest, but also the animals that originally lived on this land have also been relocated. Through the glass, visitors can see a variety of flora and fauna. The branches of the trees are tall and thick, and the huge root system is rooted in the water; A variety of fish swim leisurely in the water; Birds and beasts flickered among the branches. According to the environmental monitoring data, artificial rainfall will be activated from time to time in the exhibition area, and when the torrential rain hits the trees and water surface of the rainforest, the frogs will sing and leap, and the scene is extremely shocking.
Figure 3. Tropical Rainforest Exhibit
Visitors can also take advantage of the valuable opportunity to follow the gallery staff along a path into the interior of the rainforest to see it come alive. The entire interior space is filled with a sense of humidity and heat, with birds perched on top, insects and snakes in the middle, mammals and turtles below, and a variety of fish in the water. Although this is only the tip of the rainforest, it brings a wonderful sense of immersion to the real rainforest that allows the audience to experience the harmonious coexistence and continuous growth of the real rainforest in Barcelona, far from the Amazon jungle.
The most important feature of the Barcelona Universe Box Science Museum is that it is real, real objects and phenomena that tell the stories of the survival of many lives and stimulate the interest of the public. Here, tourists from all over the world visit every day, from real fossils, real specimens, and real rainforests to understand nature, revere nature, and feel the interaction between science and technology, nature, and human beings.
(Author: Huo Feifei, Lecturer of China Science and Technology Museum Office)
(The pictures in this article are from the author)