The ilmi Science Discovery and Innovation Centre has reached a major construction milestone with a topping-off ceremony, signalling steady progress on what is set to become one of Riyadh’s landmark developments.

Situated within Mohammed Bin Salman Non-profit City (Misk City) in Riyadh, the first non-profit city in the world, ilmi Science Discovery & Innovation Center will be both a national landmark and an immersive destination where families and friends convene to explore the 38,000 sq m site of cultural experiences.

The ceremony was attended by senior officials and project leaders, including Dr Munir Eldesouki, Vice Chairman of ilmi; Dr Ghassan AlShibl, Chairman of Misk City; Dr Badr AlBadr, CEO of the Misk Foundation; and Barry Lewis, Group CEO of ALEC, the project’s main contractor. Management teams from ILMI, Misk City, ALEC and the project’s New York-based architects were also present.

In a LinkedIn post, David Henry, CEO of the Misk City, described the occasion as a special moment for all involved, noting the collaborative effort behind delivering what he called an “outstanding building” that is expected to become a signature feature on the Riyadh skyline for decades to come.

Once completed, the ilmi Science Discovery and Innovation Centre is expected to serve as a hub for learning, research and innovation, supporting Saudi Arabia’s broader ambitions to foster knowledge-based growth. 

Construction is progressing on schedule, with project completion targeted for the second quarter of 2027, he said.

ilmi Science Discovery & Innovation Center will provide a unique, fully accessible approach to informal learning that will equip future creators, thinkers and innovators with the new skills they need to succeed through an adaptive model centered on co-creation – which generates design input from a wide range of audiences, said ilmi's website.

Interactive Zones

ilmi will take visitors on a journey of exploration and discovery that will help them to learn about the fundamental ingredients of our lives – energy, matter and information – and the principles and processes that explain and connect them. These concepts are explored through three thematic gallery groupings, investigating Our World, Our Selves, and Our Inventions.

Each gallery will use exhibits that are intended to surprise, intrigue and amaze, framed by top-level questions that guide visitors’ active investigation, and featuring stories and examples that are relevant to their lives. Exhibits will be designed and evolve using ilmi’s co-creation approach.

Our World

The ENERGY gallery introduces the concept of energy and gives visitors an immersive experience of the sources, flows, and transformations of energy that define our world.

EXPEDITIONS presents nine immersive habitats, ranging from the Kingdom’s deserts to the South Pole to the bottom of the sea, exploring the common requirements for life.

A live lab introduces visitors to the tools and problem-solving approaches scientists use to study the natural world and invites them to observe and experiment themselves.

SPACE takes visitors on a virtual journey aboard a spaceship traveling from Earth to Mars and beyond, to glimpse the human ingenuity required to meet the requirements of life in space.

Our Selves

In this theme, the focus is turned inward as visitors investigate what it means to be human. The BEING HUMAN gallery places humans under the microscope, asking how our DNA, brains, hearts, and other organs work, while exploring how we are influenced by our environment and social interactions.

In SUPER HUMAN, visitors can put themselves to the test, exploring and developing different physical and mental skills to see how they can maximize their individual potential, and achieve even more by working together as a team.

MACHINES AND US leads visitors into the emerging field of artificial intelligence (AI), to understand the inner workings of this technological frontier and the ways in which it is changing us and our world.

Our Inventions

This gallery takes visitors through past, current, and future inventions and technologies that respond to evolving human needs and the ongoing challenges of providing food, water and health care for a growing population, while protecting our planet.

In a maker’s space, visitors are introduced to some current Saudi inventors and can explore the creative process of making first-hand, with access to digital design tools and hands-on materials.

A discovery play gallery provides an immersive environment designed for young children (6 and under) to investigate the elements of life (light, air, water, earth) in a playful way, the website said. - TradeArabia News Service