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Telus World of Science Edmonton

Telus World of Science Edmonton (TWOSE) is a broad-based science centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, operated by the (non-profit) Edmonton Space & Science Foundation. The centre is located on the southwest corner of Coronation Park in the neighborhood of Woodcroft. The science centre houses 144,430 sq. ft. of public space and is the largest science centre in Western Canada (by largest total public space). It is currently a member of both the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and the Canadian Association of Science Centres (CASC).

History

History of the Science Center

1960- The Queen Elizabeth Planetarium, located to the east, operated as the Edmonton's Planetarium, the predecessors to the Edmonton Space Sciences Centre, since 1960 but had become limited by its seating capacity of 65.

1980- The City of Edmonton selected the Edmonton Space Sciences Centre as the City's flagship project commemorating the Province of Alberta's 75th Anniversary. The original building was designed by architect Douglas Cardinal.

1984- The Edmonton Space Sciences Centre opens to the general public

1990- The Edmonton Space Sciences Centre officially changes its name to Edmonton Space and Science Centre

1993- A new expansion adds 15'000 square feet of space split over two floors. Accompanying this expansion, new facilities lobby, Gift Shop, IMAX Theatre entry, Cafe, large gallery for travelling exhibits, and Visitor Services facilities are all added, as well as a refit of old space.

2001- A $14-million expansion was announced with the addition of a new name, the Odyssium.

2005- The Odyssium is renamed the Telus World of Science Edmonton with a sponsorship established with Telus Communications. The centre attracts over half a million visitors annually and has Canada's largest planetarium dome theatre (the Zeidler Dome).

2016- A plan – the Aurora Project – is announced to revamp the science centre. It is budgeted at $41.5 million. The expansion includes:

A new DVT (Digital Visualization Theatre).
New galleries.
An upgraded restaurant.
A new front entrance.
A new gift shop.

2016-2018- Phases 1 and 2 are complete with a newly refurbished Purple Pear Restaurant, a complete overhaul of the Zeidler Dome and the reimagined S.P.A.C.E. (Stars, Planets, Astronauts, Comets, etc.) Gallery

2018-2022- Phase 3 is completed with the addition of new galleries: Nature Exchange, Curious City, and Health Zone are all redone, and the expansion of the Science Garage was completed

2022-2023- Phase 4 Arctic Expedition and front entrance opens and the Aurora Project is complete

Facilities

IMAX Theatre

A 275-seat theatre showing current educational movies, shot in high resolution IMAX film reel. The Telus World of Science features the original IMAX Theatre in Western Canada. Images are enhanced by a custom designed six-channel, multi-speaker sound system are projected onto a 13m x 19m (4 storey x 6 storey) screen.

In early 2016, renovations had been completed in the IMAX theatre, upgrading it to an IMAX Laser 4K Projector system (one of 3 theatres in Canada).

Admission to the IMAX theatre is not included with general admission. Recently, the IMAX Theatre began showing Hollywood blockbusters (such as Batman v Superman or Zootopia) within a few months after screening in cinemas. As with the educational films, these are not included in the admission price and can be more expensive than the educational films. The Hollywood films cannot be used in the Science Centre + IMAX combos.

Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre

The 250-seat large dome theatre that was formerly used for laser shows and star shows. It was the largest such theater in Canada when the center opened in 1984. In 2008, the Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre changed its projection system and educational content to a full dome immersive video experience. The Telus World of Science Edmonton was the first planetarium and science center in Canada to showcase this new technology for domed theatres. Admission to shows in the Star Theatre is included in general admission. The Star Theatre is additionally equipped with high powered lasers for weekly laser shows.

Purple Pear and Gift Shop

The science centre has a café for visitors and for special events such as fundraisers. The café was undergoing renovations as of early 2016 with an estimated completion by the end of August 2016, though it was delayed until November 2016. The café is also responsible for providing the concession, which is currently hosted in the main lobby, next to the box office.

In November 2016, the cafe re-opened, but under a new name, The Purple Pear and a new focus on fresher, and local ingredients. They were also the first location in Western Canada to use tagged Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.

There is also a gift shop in the lobby, featuring a range of educational products, books, gift items, and other knick-knacks.

Coronation Park facilities

Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium (QEP)- Future

Built in 1959, the Queen Elizabeth Planetarium was the original home of the science centre. The RASC previously ran the QEP from 1960-1983 until the Edmonton Space Science foundation took over soon afterward. In 2016 the City of Edmonton announced plans to restore the planetarium and grant it full heritage status. On July 1st 2023, the QEP was opened to the public and is now operational.

Observatory

Built the same time as the original Edmonton Science Centre, the Observatory opened its doors in 1984. This outdoor structure is located in Coronation Park and It is free of charge, but it opens only when the weather permits, and it closes if the temperature is below −10 °C (14 °F). It is equipped with seven telescopes, including a Meade 16" LX200, a 180 mm (7 in) Starfire refractor, and three solar telescopes all provided by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (Edmonton Centre).