Sometimes, it doesn't take more than imagination and a determined team to breathe new life into a space. The renovation that the Live Science Center (CCV) of the Algarve, in Faro, operated, is a good example of this.
The first center of its kind to be created in the country, more than 15 years ago, was renovated and is providing a new visiting experience for those who go there.
The challenge for visitors is that they embark on a journey that will take them from the stars to… to the stars. And if the name seems to indicate a journey that ends where it started, that's far from the truth.
«The bet was to try to change and give a new perspective to the CCV. Now, we depart from space, the constellations and our solar system, and arrive at the Ria Formosa, one of the pearls of the region, which we approach not only from the point of view of environmental education, but also of feeling and smelling”, he revealed to Sul Informação the director of the CCV of the Algarve Cristina Veiga-Pires. Among the Ria's treasures are the other stars, those of the sea.
The experience offers a mix of astronomy, geology and biology, where there is no lack of practical examples and even the possibility of getting “hands on”.
To carry out the renovation, the CCV do Algarve team took advantage of many of the elements that already existed in the centre, giving them new life and organizing them in a different way, to create greater consistency in the visitation. Some new features were also introduced and more will come.
Soon, the CCV do Algarve will have new “tenants”, a group of seahorses that will be provided by a research group from the University of Algarve. The welcome party for the new inhabitants of the center is scheduled for the Ria Formosa Week, which will run from the 4th to the 8th of April.
«It should be noted that these are seahorses that were born in an aquarium. We are not going to take seahorses from the Ria Formosa. I think it will be a decoy for many people, as they are very different animals», said Cristina Veiga-Pires.
Seahorses are easily identifiable “by the number of spots they have on their bodies”. This will lead to the launch, in due course, of "a contest of ideas to give them names".
Another great novelty was the creation of a laboratory, also offered by the University of Algarve, where you can experience the work of a scientist. «The laboratory allows us to do activities with slightly older children and young people. Many associate the CCV with children from 4 to 12 years old. We are trying to do activities for young people from 12 to 16», he illustrated.
The renovated center also pays special attention to the building that welcomes it and its history. The site where the CCV do Algarve now operates was originally a Power Station and served as the base for the Municipal Fire Brigade, a past that is remembered in the centre's permanent exhibition.
The Farense Live Science Center is also trying to open up more and more to the community. In addition to a space for children's parties, institutions are now given the possibility to use the center's facilities for the events they promote. «The Ports of Honor of several congresses have already been held here. We have this privileged contact with the Ria Formosa, which makes the center a good place to hold receptions and parties», he illustrated.
In other words, it is a space open to everyone, whether the newest minds or the most experienced.
See photos of the renewed Algarve Live Science Centre:
(photos: Hugo Rodrigues|Sul Informação)
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