Kim Gladstone Herlev joined Experimentarium in January 2003
Denmark’s only science centre has undergone a mass redevelopment, with its new spiraling copper staircase the centrepiece of the former brewery.
Originally opened in 1991, Experimentarium, in Hellerup, adopts a hands-on approach, with visitors able to try out a number of scientific experiments. After starting renovation works in 2014, plans were hampered when the building was largely destroyed by fire, delaying progress for several months. The centre reopened in January with two additional floors added on top of the 110-year-old building.
At the helm is the executive director of three years, Kim Gladstone Herlev, who has been at Experimentarium since January 2003, where he started as director of communication.
“It’s always been a challenge to be in a building originally intended for different purposes,” says Gladstone. “We became a huge success in Denmark. Everyone knows Experimentarium and because of that we saw the opportunity to do something really amazing here.”
The building uses the foundations of the city’s old Tuborg beer bottling plant, retaining the first floor of the brewery and building the DKK880m ($126m, €118m, £100m) expansion above it.
“We built on top of the history, the history of science in fact, because the brewing process is science,” says Herlev. “It has the same footprint on the ground but it’s twice the size it was before.”
Due to its expansion, Experimentarium has room for 16 new exhibitions – all brand new and built over three storeys, following the theme of the centre as “universes”.
“The idea is that we are like a ‘city’ and we make small universes within this construct,” says Herlev. “One universe could be themed like a factory of ideas, another could be the cinema, or the beach, or the harbour. The design of each of these 16 universes is very different. Some will be high-activity areas, some will be reflective areas – that’s the idea.”
Phoenix from the ashes The 2015 fire, which “more or less completely destroyed” the building, occurred in the midst of redevelopment. Because of the ongoing works, the science centre’s staff and exhibits had – by a good stroke of fortune – been temporarily moved to Papirøen in Copenhagen Harbour, meaning while the building had been gutted the majority of the collection was safe.
Rising like a phoenix from the ashes, Herlev has ambitious plans for the reborn Experimentarium science centre.
“At Easter we will open our rooftop where you can be outside doing open-air science experiments, which is very exciting,” he says. “In January 2018 we will open the first floor, which will be a science city for kids aged one to five years old. We do not have many museums that cater specifically to children in Denmark so this is a very exciting thing for our country.
“Our aim is to be among the five best science centres in the world within the next few years. If you compare us to facilities in Europe, Experimentarium is different from a lot of other science centres,” Herlve says. “We’re able to show things that have never been shown in this context before. It’s very exciting.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 1
People profile: Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Bushnell, father of the video game industry, on his new VR business and the future of technology
People profile: Ron Magill
Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill gives the lowdown on the attraction’s new Florida: Mission Everglades zone
People profile: Kim Gladstone Herlev
Denmark’s Experimentarium has reopened after a major renovation. CEO Kim Gladstone Herlev shares his vision for the future
People profile: Jimmy Fallon
Hold on tight! US TV star Jimmy Fallon is the subject of a brand new ride at Universal Orlando
Interview: Matthias Li
Matthias Li, chief executive at Hong Kong’s
Ocean Park, on his response to a changing
visitor profile and rising competition
Pipeline: Opening Doors
There’s an array of attractions set to launch.
We anticipate the hot debuts of the year
Tourism: A Plan for Oman
The Ministry of Tourism’s Maitha Al Mahrouqi
on Oman’s status as a budding destination
Kim Gladstone Herlev joined Experimentarium in January 2003
Denmark’s only science centre has undergone a mass redevelopment, with its new spiraling copper staircase the centrepiece of the former brewery.
Originally opened in 1991, Experimentarium, in Hellerup, adopts a hands-on approach, with visitors able to try out a number of scientific experiments. After starting renovation works in 2014, plans were hampered when the building was largely destroyed by fire, delaying progress for several months. The centre reopened in January with two additional floors added on top of the 110-year-old building.
At the helm is the executive director of three years, Kim Gladstone Herlev, who has been at Experimentarium since January 2003, where he started as director of communication.
“It’s always been a challenge to be in a building originally intended for different purposes,” says Gladstone. “We became a huge success in Denmark. Everyone knows Experimentarium and because of that we saw the opportunity to do something really amazing here.”
The building uses the foundations of the city’s old Tuborg beer bottling plant, retaining the first floor of the brewery and building the DKK880m ($126m, €118m, £100m) expansion above it.
“We built on top of the history, the history of science in fact, because the brewing process is science,” says Herlev. “It has the same footprint on the ground but it’s twice the size it was before.”
Due to its expansion, Experimentarium has room for 16 new exhibitions – all brand new and built over three storeys, following the theme of the centre as “universes”.
“The idea is that we are like a ‘city’ and we make small universes within this construct,” says Herlev. “One universe could be themed like a factory of ideas, another could be the cinema, or the beach, or the harbour. The design of each of these 16 universes is very different. Some will be high-activity areas, some will be reflective areas – that’s the idea.”
Phoenix from the ashes The 2015 fire, which “more or less completely destroyed” the building, occurred in the midst of redevelopment. Because of the ongoing works, the science centre’s staff and exhibits had – by a good stroke of fortune – been temporarily moved to Papirøen in Copenhagen Harbour, meaning while the building had been gutted the majority of the collection was safe.
Rising like a phoenix from the ashes, Herlev has ambitious plans for the reborn Experimentarium science centre.
“At Easter we will open our rooftop where you can be outside doing open-air science experiments, which is very exciting,” he says. “In January 2018 we will open the first floor, which will be a science city for kids aged one to five years old. We do not have many museums that cater specifically to children in Denmark so this is a very exciting thing for our country.
“Our aim is to be among the five best science centres in the world within the next few years. If you compare us to facilities in Europe, Experimentarium is different from a lot of other science centres,” Herlve says. “We’re able to show things that have never been shown in this context before. It’s very exciting.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 1
People profile: Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Bushnell, father of the video game industry, on his new VR business and the future of technology
People profile: Ron Magill
Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill gives the lowdown on the attraction’s new Florida: Mission Everglades zone
People profile: Kim Gladstone Herlev
Denmark’s Experimentarium has reopened after a major renovation. CEO Kim Gladstone Herlev shares his vision for the future
People profile: Jimmy Fallon
Hold on tight! US TV star Jimmy Fallon is the subject of a brand new ride at Universal Orlando
Interview: Matthias Li
Matthias Li, chief executive at Hong Kong’s
Ocean Park, on his response to a changing
visitor profile and rising competition
Pipeline: Opening Doors
There’s an array of attractions set to launch.
We anticipate the hot debuts of the year
Tourism: A Plan for Oman
The Ministry of Tourism’s Maitha Al Mahrouqi
on Oman’s status as a budding destination
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home
at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one
of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
