Edmonton’s Telus World of Science in Canada is about to enter the next phase of its CA$40m (US$31.9m, €26.7m, £24.7m) Aurora Project – the year-long construction of a new planetarium theatre with higher screen resolution than any other planetarium in the world.
The renamed Zeidler Dome Theatre, formerly the Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre planetarium, will include a projector and screens capable of 10K resolution, more than double that currently on offer by IMAX movie theatres and more than the current ultra-HD standard of 8K.
"With this new 10K resolution video projection system, the stars that we can project, the images will be incredibly sharp, highly detailed, and it will make you feel like you're right there," said Frank Florian, director of planetarium and space sciences at Telus World of Science.
"When the theatre opens, people will come in and their jaws will drop because it's going to make them feel like they're in these environments. It's going to have that ‘wow’ factor."
The centre’s redevelopment expands its space by 20,000sq ft (1,850sq m), with the next phase of development starting on 5 September. In addition to the planetarium’s redevelopment, the construction phase also includes a renovation of the existing Space Place gallery.
Unveiled in February last year, the wider redevelopment of the science centre has been conceptualised by Canadian architects Dialog Design, with US-based firm Jeff Kennedy Associates handling exhibition design.
Inspired by ice, Dialog’s design turns the facility into a science lesson, with pools of precipitation coming down from the roof and being used to feed wildlife around the building, demonstrating how the freeze-thaw cycle works.
The expansion also includes a new 10,000sq ft (9,300sq m) gallery based on Canada’s Arctic and polar regions, while a new health-science gallery will highlight the health science, wellness and medical research being carried out in Edmonton. Additionally, the lobby will gain a retail store and will double in size, with an exterior garden space and entrance way leading to it.
The centre has so far raised half of the CA$40m total needed to finance the entire development masterplan. So far, the City of Edmonton has invested CA$12m (US$9.6m, €8m, £7.4m), while more than CA$1m (US$798,000, €668,000, £617,000) has been donated towards a CA$7.5m (US$6m, €5m, £4.6m) community fundraising campaign. In May the federal government also contributed CA$3.35m (US$2.7m, €2.2m, £2m), unlocking funds to finance the planetarium redevelopment. The centre is now in negotiations with the Alberta government, seeking funds to match the CA$12m invested by the city.
