House of Culture and Movement (proposal), MVRDV, Frediksberg, Denmark.

Ah yes, the visitor’s center. The phrase, to you, might bring back memories of musty dioramas in an Arkansas roadside wildlife visitor’s center. But the modern visitor’s center (yeah, we just called you old), along with the science center and children’s center, has become an important staple in any city’s life and economy. Furthermore, these types of projects are some of the few actually being built today.

More and more, having a tourist destination that has an educational or experiential component is very important for travelers, parents in particular. The ‘learning vacation’ has enjoyed increased popularity as of late, probably due to both the recession and an interest in getting more than just a funnel cake and sunburn when you go on vacation. As a result, more attention is being paid to how these building attract visitors and facilitate learning.

Check out ten visitors’ centers culled from our database here on Architizer after the jump.

Hanil Visitor’s Center, Nicholas Locke, Maepo, Korea.

Sluňákov – Center for ecological activities, Projektil architekti s.r.o., Czech Republic.

Yogi Bera Museum and Learning Center, ikon.5 architects, Little Falls, New Jersey.

SOS Children’s Villages, Studio Gang Architects, Chicago, Illinois.

Telus World of Science, Eos Lightmedia, Vancouver, Canada.

Macao Science Center, Pei Partnership Architects LLP, Macao, China.

Edcouch Elsa ISD Fine Arts Center, Kell Muñoz Architects. Edcouch, Texas.

Knut Hamsen Center, Steven Holl Architects, Hamarøy, Norway.

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens Visitor Center, Weiss/Manfredi, Brooklyn, New York (ongoing building work).

by Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan

posted in civic duty

tagged civic duty, educational, ikon.5 architects, learning, mvrdv, Studio Gang, visitor's center

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