This emblematic building is located on an island in the River Neckar at the center of Heilbronn. The structure is part of a project to revive an old industrial complex with a science center promoted by a foundation that supports science and technology. The helical volume forms a pair with a converted warehouse, framing a small piazza from where visitors access the new center. Passing through the spacious foyer, they move upwards along the helical route through four levels with themed, interactive displays that focus on scientific and technological subjects. The exhibition spaces are each variously offset in horseshoe form around a full-height atrium, into which pods are inserted that contain studios for young visitors. Finally, the helix leads onto the roof where an astronomical observatory and an experimental theater are located, as well as a spacious terrace offering views of the entire Neckar Valley. An alternative route leads to the basement, where the 360° cinema and spaces for temporary exhibitions are located. With these intertwined spatial experiences, the building acts like a toolbox for a center at the junction of education and entertainment, and presents the view out into the everyday as a subject of exhibition and study...  [+][+]