Do the professionals work in diversified teams?

250 specialists from diverse disciplines worked to plan and build the Technorama Outdoors park. The Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) has been a partner from the outset and seeks to use this project to inspire the younger generation to take up engineering professions. The overall planning was in the hands of Winterthur-based Krebs und Herde Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH. The Wonder Bridge was designed by the engineers at Conzett Bronzini Partner AG from Chur. It took twelve years to bring the idea to fruition, and the completed project is now operated and maintained by Swiss Science Center Technorama.

Does the place serve its purpose?

From a business point of view, the park allows the Swiss Science Center Technorama to break away from its image as a bad-weather destination and to more evenly spread out visitor attendance throughout the year. Previously, the number of visitors depended enormously on the weather. Together with the Wonder Bridge, the park has the potential to attract new visitors and give a fresh face to Technorama, which has been in existence for some 40 years.

Does the place promote biodiversity?

Gardeners have planted more than 800 trees and countless shrubs in the new park, which create an environment for visitors both young and old to explore and discover. Beneath the bridge, winding paths lead through a densely planted pole forest of straight and slender tree trunks, where a new exhibit awaits around every bend. Together with the large pond and the Riedbach brook, Technorama Outdoors also provides new breeding grounds and habitats for many animals.

Will the place remain attractive in the long term for living, working, leisure and/or tourism?

From a business point of view, the park allows the Swiss Science Center Technorama to break away from its image as a bad-weather destination and to more evenly spread out visitor attendance throughout the year. Previously, the number of visitors depended enormously on the weather. Together with the Wonder Bridge, the park has the potential to attract new visitors and give a fresh face to Technorama, which has been in existence for some 40 years.

Does the place bring different people together?

During the week, the venue is visited by many school classes. Children and adolescents have the opportunity here to do experiments and experience works of art and engineering structures, all in a lushly landscaped park. Some of the exhibits only work when people team up. Others involve being splashed by water, causing those affected to start shrieking and laughing together – an experience that bonds. Cabins with hot air dry off your wet clothes if needed.

Do the green spaces enhance the quality of the place?

Up until now, Technorama offered its programme only in an almost windowless building. With the park of roughly 18,000 square metres, there is now a space for nature and discovery that is more than twice the size of all the exhibition rooms beneath the roof of the learning centre. After a visit inside, children and adults can relax outside or continue experimenting. The only requirement for access is a ticket – since Technorama is primarily self-financed, it is not entirely inexpensive.

Are local, regional and historical values integrated into the design and management of the place?

Technorama has been continually adapting to change ever since its first exhibition in 1982. Initially it presented industrial artefacts such as steam engines, but today’s visitors experience an exhibition that encourages playful learning. With Technorama Outdoors and the 30 or so outdoor exhibits where visitors can experience various natural phenomena, the museum once again responds to current needs.

Does the place have an atmospheric impact on the beholder?

The atmosphere in the park is unique. The combination of natural setting, bridge and prominent experiments contributes to this. The learning landscape is stimulating, arouses curiosity and amazes. The installation “Falling Water” at one end of the Wonder Bridge, for example, offers a lasting experience. Here, every 20 minutes, five tonnes of water plunge from a height of ten metres into a basin, from where the water is redirected and shoots back up as a fountain more than 20 metres high. Anyone standing at the top to gaze intently at the water is bound to suddenly get wet.