The Podkarpackie Science Centre “Łukasiewicz” (PCN) was officially opened in December 2021. It is located in the vicinity of the G2A Arena Exhibition and Convention Centre and the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, and the centre’s building is shaped like an airship. Construction of ‘Łukasiewicza’ began in the summer of 2020. It consumed PLN 94 million, of which more than PLN 76 million was EU money.It is an investment of the provincial government
The PCN is a centre for the popularisation of science with a programme offer that is unique in the country and linked to the intelligent specialisations of the voivodeship, including: aviation, aerospace, IT and telecommunications and the quality of life in the broadest sense
Photo: Marcin Furtak – F-11 Design Studio
It is a next-generation facility and an unlimited space for the mind. It is a dynamic and interactive place where you can experiment to your heart’s content, test, question, experience and develop your scientific interests. Łukasiewicz’s mission is to activate visitors in the direction of lifelong learning, in terms of key skills for the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, by creating a space that stimulates the acquisition of knowledge and personal development based on independent experience of science, contact with regional heritage and discovering the complexity and interdependence between the natural world, the people living in it and the achievements of our civilisation. It also aims to promote the Podkarpackie region, in particular its scientific, cultural and natural heritage
The area of the PCN building is about 6,500 square metres, including the exhibition space occupying about 3,000 square metres. The exhibition is spread over three floors and the exterior of the building and is divided into five exhibitions with different themes and functionalities
Photo by Marcin Furtak – F-11 Design Studio
The design of the building was made by the Design Studio F-11 team under the direction of arch. Marcin Furtak. The predominant function of the facility is that of an exhibition: the building is to house more than 200 interactive exhibits devoted to man, nature, aviation and aerospace. In addition, the facility houses workshops and laboratories. At the heart of the building is one of the key exhibits: an enlarged anatomical model of the human head with access to the organs inside. The building is surrounded by a staircase that mimics an orbit and leads to an observation deck from which it is possible to view the nearby airport. The building was designed on the basis of renewable energy sources. Its interior is characterised by austerity, finishes and floors made of or in concrete, exposed installations masked in black and a lot of light
The patron of the Podkarpackie Science Centre is Ignacy Łukasiewicz (born c. 8 March 1822 in Zaduszniki, died 7 January 1882 in Chorkówka) – pioneer of the world oil industry, inventor of the paraffin lamp, independence activist, social activist and philanthropist
Source: Podkarpackie Science Centre “Łukasiewicz ”
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