MANILA, Philippines — The Mind Museum at Taguig, the country’s first world-class science museum, was recently revealed via a pre-launch reception. The ceremonial opening was led by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, and the board of trustees of Bonifacio Art Foundation (BAFI), the proponent of The Mind Museum, headed by Chair Jose D. Campos and Vice Chair Fernando Zobel. For the first time, the donors, partners, city government officials and supporters stepped inside the sleek, futuristic building designed by Ed Calma and his team of architects in Lor Calma and Partners, and saw up-close the centerpiece exhibits of the museum.

Sitting on the 12,500 sqm prime lot of JY Campos Park on 3rd Ave. in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), The Mind Museum is a P1 billion project conceived in 2006 by BAFI, the group in charge of BGC’s public art program. It is brought to reality by companies, families and individuals who heeded the call to support science education in the country as a way to help economic growth in the long term. It is envisioned to be the Philippines’ center for the public understanding of science, where facts are presented in clear, exciting and engaging ways.

In the message of President Noynoy Aquino delivered by Vice-President Binay for the occasion, the president offered his thanks and congratulations “to all those who made this facility possible through their generous donations. Knowing as we do the importance of furthering scientific research and development in the country, we have always stood firm in the belief that science is transformational and should be put to work for the benefit of the Filipino people.”

In a separate statement, Mayor Cayetano said, “This will certainly be good for our youth, not just of Taguig, but of the whole country. Their interest in science will be awakened and they will know that learning science is fun.”

Right from its planning stage, world-class appeal had set in at The Mind Museum with international experts being tapped, particularly the Science Centre Singapore and Jack Rouse and Associates, as consultants. But what makes The Mind Museum unique is that the people who conceptualized it and brought it to life are Filipinos. The exhibits are largely original and not off-the-shelf types found in other science museums. Designs are by Filipino artists working with Filipino scientists and engineers to clearly and beautifully flesh out a science principle or fact. Ninety percent of the exhibits were done by carefully selected local fabricators who also work for science museums abroad.

The Mind Museum at Taguig has over 250 interactive exhibits classified into five subjects that correspond to the museum’s five main galleries: a) Atom Gallery has exhibit pieces that show the strange world of the very small in terms of forces and particles; b) Earth Gallery tells of the story of the planet and our archipelago across the breadth of time; c) Life Gallery is a dive into deeper understanding of how life surrounds and inhabits us, from microbes to large animals and from DNA cells to a giant human brain model; d) Universe Gallery features the vastness of the universe and holds clues to where we came from and where we are going; e) and the Technology Gallery which shows how the tools we invent and innovate are able to express our evolving humanity.

The museum also features an outdoor Science-in-the-Park where visitors can experience playful science through four-themed pockets: Music, Math, Living and Water. Other educational offerings include facilities such as an auditorium, laboratory and classrooms for educational workshops.

According to Calma, the The Mind Museum’s architecture reflects the functionality of nature. Some features of the building’s innovative and sustainable design include a curved roof for more efficient rain collection, slanted exterior walls to minimize the entry of sunlight, and strategic orientation to utilize the shadows of adjacent buildings, all of which contribute to greater energy efficiency.

The Mind Museum at Taguig will open to the public in summer of 2012.