It had been built as a private villa by the nephew of Pope Alexander VII and is thought to have welcomed Napoleon Bonaparte for a short spell. About 30 years later, Lord Nelson suggested it would make a good hospital.
It will be something between a playground and a museum. Children will come and play with science
The foundation stone of the new Royal British Navy hospital at Bighi was laid in 1830 but, two centuries on, the deserted place lies in ruins.
However, the former hospital, rising on the promontory between Rinella Bay and Kalkara creek, will, by the end of 2014, be transformed into Malta’s first National Science Interactive Centre.
The Malta Council for Science and Technology has been entrusted with its biggest project ever: a €25 million venture to change the public perception of science through hands-on experience.
There had been two other unsuccessful attempts in the past to build a similar centre, in the late 1980s and mid-1990s.
The MCST board, chaired by MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, secured the necessary funds to launch the project later this year.
“It will be something between a playground and a museum. Children will come on site and play with science. They will learn static electricity by actually physically experiencing it,” CEO Nicholas Sammut said.
Malta’s goal, he added, was to shift from an economy based on manufacturing to one that is founded on high value-added education.
“The plan is to invest in people with ideas and nurture creativity and innovation. The general perception of science is that it’s a hard subject and it’s easier to find a job in another field,” he said.
The centre will, therefore, move away from the traditional model of schooling and target mainly primary and secondary school students with a hands-on experience. Enticing kids to familiarise themselves with science would, hopefully, increase the take-up of science and technology subjects.
The centre will have a science communication hub, an under seven-year-old’s area, interactive workshops, hands-on exhibits, science shows and a planetarium that can take up to 60 people.
The council is training specialists to manage the various sections of the place, which will require about 25 people at one go to run it. The centre will be spread over an area of 22,000 square metres, four-fifths of which will be outdoors.
But the place will first have to be restored. Technology and history will come together as the centre is built around the remains of the hospital.
Dr Sammut described how challenging it was for the architect to bring together culture and science and create a transition from a baroque style to something that is more futuristic.
The former chaplain’s house, overlooking the sea, will hold temporary exhibits while the planetarium will be placed on an opening that formed along the years on the side of the old auxiliary hospital.
The area in front of the villa, which acts as a drop-off and parking area, will be transformed into a garden and parking lots will be set up off the site.
The idea to build the interactive centre came in 2010 but plans were finalised last year and the council is now at the contracting stage. Work will start this year and finish by the end of 2014.
The council has, in the meantime, tested out this interactive science idea through two EU-funded festivals held in 2009 and the following year at the University of Malta. The weeklong festivals were a hit, with about 10,000 children turning up on both editions. Another festival will be held in December at Bighi.