Science World, Science museum in Vancouver, Canada
Science World is a science museum in Vancouver, Canada, housed inside a geodesic dome on the eastern shore of False Creek. The facility includes several exhibition areas covering topics such as physics, biology, and engineering, as well as a dedicated space for toddlers.
The geodesic dome was designed by Expo chief architect Bruno Freschi, inspired by Buckminster Fuller, and built between 1984 and early 1985 as the Expo Centre for Expo 86. After the fair closed in October 1986, a fundraising campaign raised $19.1 million to add to the building, redesign the interior and fabricate exhibits. A four-month preview in 1988 drew over 310,000 visitors, and the science centre opened as Science World on May 6, 1989.
The building's name comes from its purpose, not its shape: it opened as Science World in 1989, and from 2005 to 2020 carried the sponsored name Science World at Telus World of Science, which proved unpopular and was dropped in 2020. The nearby SkyTrain station kept the name Main Street–Science World throughout. Visitors can still see the white "TELUS WORLD OF S" lettering on the red band beneath the dome.
Access is through the main entrance on Quebec Street, where visitors reach the lobby and ticket counters directly. Weekends and holidays can see morning queues, especially during school breaks.
The 400-seat Omnimax theatre opened a year after the museum, in the upper section of the dome, building on the 3D IMAX theatre installed in 1986 for Expo's "Transitions" film series. It was renamed the Alcan Omnimax Theatre in 1996 under a sponsorship deal, then reverted to its original name.
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