MUSEThe ScienceMuseum of Trento

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Contents

MUSE 3The new Science Museum opens on 27 July 2013 in Trento 4The dream comes true 5The mountains of Renzo Piano 7The MUSE building’s key numbers 9A modern science center 10Where a visit becomes an exploration adventure 11The museum’s “special” spaces 12 Immersive 12 Sensorial 13 Unique and exclusive 14A space for building the future 15FabLab: hands-on science 16Maxi Ooh! Discovery starts with the senses 17Eastern Arc: the tropical mountain greenhouse 19Discovering MUSE 21 Floor +4 | High altitude, exploration 22 Floor +3 | Nature in the Alps 23 Floor +2 | The long history of the Dolomites, a world heritage site 24 Floor +1 | From the first men in the Alps to our global future 25 Floor 0 | Maxi-Ooh! and the Science Gymnasium 27 Floor -1 | Evolution, dinosaurs, DNA 27 The tropical mountain greenhouse 29An international research centre 30A network of different kinds of knowledge 32From the Tridentine Museum of Natural Sciences to MUSE 34A new brand for a new museum 36

MUSE is a dinosaur footprint, telling the tale of evolution,

where mankind comes from and how it interacts with the

surrounding environment. MUSE is also an Alpine glacier,

with its extreme habitat, as well as a tropical greenhouse,

proof of the diversity and balance present in ecosystems

and of the need to protect our relationships with nature.

It is also an interactive forest, where children discover

nature and the world as they play, and even a 3D printer of a

FabLab, where ingenuity and the drive to overcome ancient

barriers lead mankind to devise a different future.

Evolution, environment, innovation, biodiversity,

experimenting: these are the elements that lead MUSE

visitors on the path towards a well-balanced relationship

between science, nature and society.

MUSE Active, attractive, memorable

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MUSE is a dream come true thanks to an important

investment in culture made by the Autonomous Province

of Trento. It is an open space where scientific and

technological knowledge is the tool used to study the

relationship between man and the environment and at

the same time to route future choices in sustainable

development.

The new Science Museum is ready to launch a new way of

interacting with the public: multi-media exhibits, interactive

games, hands-on experiments and the practical mixing

of culture with DIY are the informal educational tools with

which visitors can join the scientific debate about important

local and global issues.

The architectural structure, designed by Renzo Piano, is an

extraordinary added value. The building’s outline recalls the

profile of the surrounding mountains, with a finely balanced

contrast between empty and full spaces that adds charm

and prestige to the entire exhibition venue. Built to eco-

compatible criteria, MUSE is a model that sets the standard

for a green economy and for energy saving.

The new Science MuseumOpens on 27 July 2013 in Trento

The acronym ‘MUSE’ has been liberally taken from the

museum’s Italian name, “MUseo delle ScienzE”. It was

first used during the drafting of the cultural plan as an

operational term to indicate the new structure in a short-

hand form. Although it intentionally refers to the etymologic

origins of the word “museum”, in appreciation of the

values implicit in such institutions, designed to promote

conservation, MUSE is not a typical museum, since it

combines characteristics from both traditional natural

science museums and modern Science Centres. In MUSE,

moreover, this new layout is enriched by a strong social

element that underpins its vocation as a meeting place

providing dialogue for, and with, its visitors. MUSE has the

important aim of enhancing the local region, acting as a

social venue where people can discuss issues of global

importance.

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intended for visitors of all ages and levels of education.

The museum’s quest for a new role translated into the

creation and production of a large number of highly

acclaimed temporary exhibitions. The nature-oriented

themes were joined by new programs extended to energy

and sustainable development, interactive science games,

astronomy and mathematics. A rich program of educational

activities, aimed beyond solely naturalistic disciplines, was

also created.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Autonomous

Province of Trento identified the Tridentine Museum of

Natural Sciences as the perfect vehicle for adding culture to

the project of reclamation of the abandoned industrial area

formerly occupied by the Michelin factory. This area had

found itself encompassed by the spread of the city borders

and had thus become the subject (since 2001) of a plan for

its change in urban purpose.

In order to meet these expectations, and at the request of

the Autonomous Province of Trento, in 2003 the museum

prepared a Feasibility Study and started redefining its

cultural mission. This resulted in the choice of a perspective

totally focused on smart, sustainable and socially inclusive

growth. At the same time it drafted a new cultural program,

aware of its role of representative of the spirit of the Trentino

people in the search for a model of development - the key

MUSE, the Science Museum, originates from the Tridentine

Museum of Natural Sciences (Tridentine Museum of Natural

Science), a civic museum established in the mid-19th

century that over time became specialized in the field of

nature conservation.

A significant change occurred in the last decade of the 20th

century, when the museum, already an instrumental body

of the Autonomous Province of Trento since 1964, doubled

its commitment to nature-oriented scientific research by

acquiring the capability of carrying out information support

functions for local environmental planning projects and by

developing important international relationships. In those

same years, it started experimenting with new programs

for the public by adopting new communication languages

The dream comes trueNature and the future, a virtuous relationship

Trento, climate, 3D, environmental

education, sustainable future,

cultural emergency, Alps, society,

nature, civil defence, green

economy, science, landscape,

pedagogy, global thought

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objectives of which are good quality of life and a healthy

environment. So, in addition to this city-planning function,

the museum also actively contributed to the process of

qualification and overall reconsideration of Trentino’s future

that started to take shape at that time. The project for the

new MUSE therefore participated in the development of the

idea of Trentino as “a region of knowledge”, together with

the great changes that were introduced with the expansion

of the University of Trento and with the reconfiguration of

the local research foundations.

In view of the foregoing, and also thanks to the highly

prestigious architectural status deriving from the design by

Renzo Piano, MUSE is destined to become one of the most

important icons of the Trentino region, which enjoys a rich

cultural system comprising institutions of excellence such

as its great provincial museums, its nature reserves, its rich

program of festivals, its University, its research foundations

and the various public and private expressions of its

development and innovation.

The aim of the new museum is to be a centre of cultural

interpretation at the service of society, dedicated to

nature and to the promotion of sustainability, science and

innovation. In short, the representation, in the form of a

museum, of a project for the development of a region

designed to inspire its citizens and, at the same time, an

extraordinary venue for cultural tourism from all over the

world.

We consider the cultureof conserving nature as a vital value of our society, since conservation is:

• anethicalaimoflocalaswellasplanetaryimportance

• basictothesustainabledevelopmentoftheland

• afundamentalcomponentofthequalityoflifefor

residents and visitors alike.

We also consider as vitalthe task of supporting theculture of science and innovation,since this is:

• necessaryforthecultural,professionalandsocial

development of every individual

• indispensableforboostingcreativityandinnovation

• akeyelementinlocaldevelopmentprocesses.

6.

The mountains of Renzo

Sustainability, photovoltaic cells,

gold, geothermal, loft, zero miles,

rain water, LEED, 12,000 m2,

energy, renewable sources, big

void, Renzo Piano, zero gravity,

bamboo

it were reflected by it. Standing in the northern area of the

district, the museum also mediates the relationship with

the pre-existing precious building, Palazzo delle Albere

(that hosts the MART in Trento) and its lawns, creating a

functional yet respectful urban interaction with the same.

The museum building stretches from East to West for 130

metres on its longest side and is 35 metres wide from North

to South. It has two storeys underground and five above

ground (ground floor included). All of the above-ground

floors plus the -1 floor are dedicated to the visiting public

and to administration, service and research activities.

Floor -2 is essentially a parking lot. The architectural idea

is the result of the mediated balance between the need

for flexibility and the response, translated into precise and

coherent shapes, to the scientific content of the cultural

project. This is a museum in which the great exhibition

themes are mirrored by its shape and volumes but that

at the same time allows for ample flexibility in setting

up its spaces - all typical features of a next-generation

museum building. The structure consists of a sequence

of spaces and volumes, of plenums and voids, posed on a

large expanse of water on which they seem to float, thus

multiplying the effects and vibrations of light and shade.

The whole is held together, at the top, by the large slopes

of the roof that follow the internal shapes, creating a highly

distinctive outline.

The construction techniques pursue environmental

sustainability and energy saving criteria and are based on

a wide and diversified use of renewable resources and

high-efficiency systems. The building employs photovoltaic

panels and geothermal probes working to support a central

The structure designed and erected by the Renzo Piano

Building Workshop is a major showpiece of Italian

architecture. The building’s outline simulates the slopes

of the surrounding mountain peaks and the internal layout

of the exhibits on its various floors is a metaphor of the

mountain environment.

Moreover, MUSE stands in an urban and scenic context that

is the result of a single project vision aimed at the significant

requalification of this part of the city of Trento that is closest

to its river. The idea behind the city-planning concept that

underlies the entire project is to create a city fragment

complete with its framework, hierarchies and functional

complexities. It will encompass shopping, residential

and office areas, as well as areas of public interest, the

most interesting of which will be MUSE. Together with the

5-hectare public park, the museum also physically “hugs”

the whole new district, acting at the same time as an

important urban pole of attraction for the rest of the city.

This embrace is underscored by the theme of water that, in

the form of a canal, cuts through the entire area from South

to North and then duplicates the shape of the museum as if

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CCHP (combined cooling, heating and power) system

that serves the entire district. The museum’s functional

systems are all centralized and automated, exploiting

various renewable energy sources (especially solar energy

via the use of photovoltaic cells and solar panels, as well as

geothermal energy via the use of heat exchange probes).

The energy system is based on the careful design of the

layering, thickness and type of insulation used and of the

fixtures and shading systems, so as to optimise the energy

efficiency of the building. A sophisticated automatic brise-

soleil and curtain system driven by temperature and solar

radiation sensors reduces sun radiation during the hotter

summer hours and allows for more sunshine entering during

cold winter days.

Natural lighting and ventilation solutions in some areas of

the building help reduce energy consumption and make the

interior spaces more comfortable. Special solutions have

been adopted to increase energy saving, such as the cistern

that collects rainwater to be used for sanitary purposes, for

irrigating the greenhouse and for supplying fresh water to

the aquariums and the water moat surrounding the building,

thus cutting the use of hydro water by 50%.

The choice of building materials favours those from local

sources so as to limit transport pollution. Compliance

with sustainability and low-impact criteria is evident in the

particular and rather unusual choice of using Italian bamboo

for the wood flooring of the exhibition areas.

Wood is a substance consisting mainly of CO2 sequestered

from the atmosphere during the life of the plant. As regards

the fight against climate change, plants are antagonists to

the growth in CO2 levels in the atmosphere and therefore

antagonists to the increase in the so-called “greenhouse

gases”. Each volume of wood exiting the life cycle

corresponds to an almost equal quantity of sequestered

CO2.

As regards wood used in construction and flooring

applications, bamboo takes about four years to grow to the

right size for being sectioned into parquet laths. Traditional

tree wood of equal quality and hardness, such as larch,

for example, takes at least 40 years to grow as much. This

means that bamboo is a super-efficient CO2 remover and

its use in building construction or in interior decoration is

beneficial in reducing and limiting global climate change.

Thanks to cooperation with the Trentino Technological

District, the project has followed the procedures for

obtaining the Silver LEED® certification.

The LEED system (Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Design), developed in the United States in 1998, provides

guidelines for sustainable design and construction

techniques reducing energy consumption, and consequently

building management and maintenance costs, as well as

emissions toxic to humans and the environment.

Finally, the project envisages the creation of a bicycle

parking area, equipped with changing rooms and showers,

and only a limited number of car parking slots, in order to

boost the visitors’ use of public transportation.

The museum, located near the cycling path, can be easily

reached by bicycle.

8.

800

500

3.700Permanent exhibitions

m2

200Maxi Ooh! children’s area

m2600Tropical greenhouse

m2

600Reception area and snacks

m2

1.800Storerooms and collections

m2

2.000Service areas

m2

800Research labs

m2

500Classrooms and educational

m2800Archives and library

m2

500Temporary exhibitions

m2

12.600Total overall surface

m2

900Offices

m2

200Conference hall (100 seats)

m2

The MUSEbuilding’skey numbers

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MUSE is a special place where everyone can meet the world

of research face to face and thereby cultivate scientific

curiosity and acquire the pleasure of knowledge.

The new museum is a blend of the contents and approach

of a traditional natural history museum with the new

themes and visitor-interaction methods of the world’s most

modern science centres. This translates into a new way of

involving the audience, i.e. by using interactive exhibits and

multimedia installations, by focusing on the interactions

between different disciplines and by giving visitors the

chance to make experiments first hand in laboratories open

to the public. In other words, the perfect blend between

“do it yourself” and informal learning tools, so as to build

an opinion of the world and then contribute with one’s own

views in the scientific debate on great local and global

issues. This way, MUSE is poised to become one of the most

innovative science museums in Europe.

At MUSE the visitor is stimulated to return to experience

continuously new exhibitions and gain more knowledge. It is

a hub of cultural exchange. It is a centre where action is as

important as study. For scientists it is a chance for exchange,

for parents it is the best investment in favour of their children.

Each and every centimetre of space is designed to stimulate

learning but also to offer relaxation, play, communication and

informal education.

A visit to the museum becomes a grand and personal

experiment of appropriation of knowledge, gained by

interacting in person with attractive installations. It is a

visit that stimulates the visitor’s curiosity, favours dialogue

with other visitors, the questioning of common sense, an

experience that stimulates the viewer to query his or her

convictions regarding nature, science and innovation.

The very shape of the building has been designed to indicate

from the outside what the visitor will experience within. Its

outline reminds one of the slopes of an Alpine mountain and

the mountain metaphor extends to the ‘summit to valley’

journey visitors take down through the permanent

exhibition spaces. Even the interior furnishings are especially

refined, set off by the uniquely original balance between the

exhibition spaces composed around a single, fascinating

“big void” space at the centre of the building, overlooked by

six floors of permanent exhibitions. Another fundamental

aspect of the uniqueness of this exhibition project is the

application of the “zero gravity” concept created by the

Renzo Piano Building Workshop. The architects use this term

to indicate an integrated method of creating the exhibition

apparatuses, i.e. featuring an effect of transparency and of

immateriality around which rotate the museum installations,

consisting of objects suspended using thin cables and that

seem to undulate within the MUSE. Tables, shelves, panels,

monitors and photographs hang from the ceiling or are

elevated from the floor using steel cables. The museum’s

interior style is based on the declination of horizontal planes

made of the same bamboo material of the floors, set off by

vertical transparent or opaque glass panes.

Maxi-Ooh!, Hands-on, corner,

sensory learning, dialogue,

culture, experimentation, pollution, well-being, touch,

debate, I’m coming back, creativity, experience

A modern science centreA great adventure for the mind

10.

The building’s shape, a mountain metaphor, sets and

underlines the top-downwards direction of the permanent

exhibition.

Once past the entrance, visitors experience a 360° sensorial

journey. They can feel cold air, can touch ice, walk through

a forest, observe a strange insect or gaze in the eyes of

a Neanderthal man. They can also map DNA, interview a

researcher working in the laboratories open to the public,

find answers to their questions by touching a screen, listen

to mountain noises, admire a dinosaur footprint, smell the

scent of the trees, look at the other side of the world, play

with a stuffed animal, understand the greenhouse effect,

build objects, print out a 3D project, watch the passing of

cosmic rays.

As they gradually descend from the fourth floor, visitors

pass from the renditions of mountain peaks occupied by

perennial snow and from the vertigo felt when using the

equipped passage, to the feeling of wonder in finding

their way through a “labyrinth of Alpine biodiversity” and

to observing how important the strong contrast between

seasons is. All this makes it fun and easy to understand

the phases of the formation of the Dolomite range, the

birth of the Alps and, with the ice ages, the onset of the

first communities of hunters-gatherers and the progressive

shaping of the landscapes, also due to the many millennia of

human activity.

The naturalist portion of the visit ends on the floor -1 with a

tale that leads the visitors to discover the origins of life, and

then on to the largest dinosaur exhibition in the Alps.

This vertical tale, that sheds light on the natural dimension

of the Alpine territory and that develops from the top

downwards, is intertwined with a horizontal tale that

establishes a dialogue between the Alpine range and the

rest of the world, between local and global commitment,

between conservation of nature and science and technology

for sustainable development.

This entails a space dedicated to civil defence, understood

as the capacity to intervene and prevent environmental

risk. Visitors will discover a unitary path of techniques and

transformations of the land that leads from Alpine pre-

history to the limits of planetary sustainability consisting of

population growth, loss of biodiversity and climate change.

And will discover that our future depends on how we will

interact with scientific knowledge and with technology to

ensure smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Peak, climate change, mines,

aquarium, Dolomites, geology,

biodiversity, high altitude, dinosaurs, evolution

Where a visit becomesan exploration adventureAdventure and learning. A new way to visit a museum

11.

ImmersiveFrom the visitor’s viewpoint, MUSE offers an extensive

range of stimuli. There are areas we like to call

“immersive”, namely spaces inside which the visitor

loses his or her relationship with the external envelope

that is the museum and becomes totally immersed in a

virtual world consisting of 360° projections made even

more realistic by Dolby surround effects.

The first of these is the large tunnel called “Glacial

experience”. It is the visitor’s first contact with the

itinerary that starts on the fourth floor. It is a 10-metre-

long multi-vision space inside which the visitor

experiences the impression of flying above the Alps

as if on the wings of an eagle, breathtaking descents

on extreme-grade slopes, the thrilling and yet terrible

experience of an avalanche, as well as the sublime

feeling of witnessing

a star-lit night sky in the Dolomites.

The Biodiversity Labyrinth, on the third floor, is a space

within which the visitor is projected into the various

planes at different altitudes, from high Alpine meadows

down to forests and beech woods. In this manner the

quick succession of different Alpine panoramic views

helps the visitor appreciate the difference in habitats as

they occur from the highest peaks to the bottom of the

valleys.

The Time machine, on the first floor, is a veritable

multimedia cave. Inside this immersive space, scenes of

prehistoric life are projected on the walls and centrally-

located screens. It is a totally new kind of technological

space that, technically speaking, is one of the most

innovative elements of the entire visit. The flickering of

a fireplace reflected on the walls of a cave creates the

backdrop for a shamanistic rite set in the prehistoric site

called Riparo Dalmeri (Dalmeri Shelter), that has been

studied by the museum for the past 20 years and that,

with its painted rocks, is the most ancient and richest

“repository” of Alpine pre-history (dating back to approx.

13,000 years ago). The scene of a Neanderthal man using

a flint-stone knife to prepare his hunted game shows a

moment of everyday life linked to survival.

Finally, the visit ends at the -1 underground floor with

a voyage to discover the “unit of measurement of life”,

Darwin’s extraordinary discovery and the roots of human

nature through the research conducted on DNA, the

molecule that is the expression of genetic heredity. This

project is co-produced with Giovanni Carrada, the author

of the popular TV series “Super Quark”, and leaves the

visitor with the awareness that DNA is the unique archive

of past and present biodiversity and at the same time the

source of its future possibilities: our responsibility today

more than ever.

The museum’s “special” spaces

12.

SensorialWho can say that knowledge is gained solely through

observation and reasoning? MUSE offers a series of

“hands-on” experiences that are to be assimilated using

all of the senses.

On the fourth floor, parallel to the immersive tunnel, there

is an equipped passage, a sort of ledge along a high

mountain trail with real rock and ice to touch and, down

into the valley... the unhindered view of the five floors

below, all the way to the bottom floor.

On the third floor, dedicated to biodiversity, is the

Discovery room, a space especially intended for the

younger visitors (aged 4 - 8), that they can enjoy alone,

with their parents or with a facilitator.

The space and the objects placed at their disposal offer

children the chance to explore the natural world that

surrounds them via use of their senses.

One of MUSE’s main architectural and exhibit attractions

is the “Big void”, a large space that joins the six floors,

extending from the skylight to the underground floor,

where the dinosaurs are. Inside this space, of great

visual impact, taxidermied animals are positioned on

suspended platforms. The central space of the void is

populated by an ascending spiral of winged animals

ranging from flying reptiles to high altitude birds. The

sequence of the various species, shown in poses that

are typical of their everyday life in nature, corresponds

to their distribution according to altitude in the Alps and

ends with the species linked to man via domestication.

The visual and scenic impact is made even more unique

by a set of vertical screens that create a dynamic

and ever-changing narration of stories linked to the

mountains, enriched by acoustic suggestions.

13.

Unique and exclusiveMaxi Ooh!is an area exclusively reserved for the youngest visitors

(aged 0 - 5) who, together with their parents, can touch,

see and hear via real and virtual sensorial stimuli: an

area where the thrill of discovery starts with the senses.

The main architectural elements of the Maxi Ooh! area

are three large coloured bubbles that seem to fluctuate

inside the glass-paneled room. This is a place where

children and adults can dive into sounds, where they can

colour spaces with their presence and where they can

discover, be stimulated and hear with their ears and with

their whole body, where they can draw with their voice

as well as with their hands. It is an oasis where they can

relax and live a new way of visiting a museum. Maxi Ooh!

focuses on creativity and the adult/child relationship in

the quest for a free and subjective exploration of the

world, and for the development of knowledge.

Relaxation areaThis area is dedicated to relaxation and to meeting the

primary needs of small children (nursing, rest, snacks).

The science gymnasiumBeyond the “Big Void”, southwards, is the “Hands-on”

area dedicated to the interaction between visitors and

scientific equipment and experiments. Here visitors

will find a set of suspended objects and machines that

faithfully reproduce physical phenomena.

Science on a sphereThis is the first example of this kind of installation in Italy.

The sphere is the beating heart of the area dedicated

to sustainability. The great suspended globe illustrates

the complex environmental processes in an intuitive and

viewer-friendly way. The video projections depicting the

atmospheric and oceanic dynamics in real time lead

the visitor on a trip into environmental sciences and

forecasting the weather of the future.

In my opinionNext to the sustainability gallery is an area for exchange

and discussion, for informal presentations and debates.

Regular programs alternate with temporary exhibitions.

Two interactive tables favour the exchange of ideas

among visitors in order to boost and encourage their

participation in political choices affecting scientific

issues.

14.

To learn how our environment has changed since

the beginning of history to our present times means

understanding a journey of over 200,000 years, which

involves the joint evolution of humanity’s technological

skills and its relationship with nature and the landscape.

This is one of the strongest and most innovative

conceptual focuses of MUSE. The exhibition floor

dedicated to pre-history with its succession of themes

and experiences that are totally new to the international

museum scene, presents a refreshingly simple and

direct viewpoint. Today’s society is the result of a course

of techniques and of a network of territories. As the

techniques multiplied, the presence of mankind changed.

From the industrial revolution onwards, technological

progress has increasingly impacted on the environment;

here in the 21st century we now understand its true

implications for Earth’s fragile ‘planetary limits’, such as

biodiversity loss, the advance of desertification, climate

change and the global increase in extreme weather

events. Consequently, the forecast scenarios and the

development programs promoted by the European Union

within the framework of the Europe 2020 program have

identified three main axes, i.e. economy, environment

and society, along which to build the idea of the future of

our continent. This is why MUSE has elected as primary

feature of its philosophy the dialectic and constructive

relationship between development and environmental

sustainability and the relationship with the role played by

our contemporary society.

Knowledge, logic, awareness: these should be key

attitudes of the model contemporary citizen. And yet

it is not enough. Today citizens are called to take up

a position and to act accordingly in order to address

and solve these globally important problems. In this

respect, MUSE offers the chance to interact, to learn, to

take home good practices in environmental and social

A space for building the futureLearning, thinking and experimenting in order to address today’s challenges with awareness, and forge our tomorrow

sustainability. Concretely, it points towards sustainable

growth by means of the search for innovative solutions,

including the use of new technologies. Each and

every one of us can be a part of this research, of this

innovation and of this collective debate. Every one of us,

in short, can help build his or her own future.

Reflection, experimentation, a cue for the visitor to

return and acquire new educational experience and

informal knowledge: MUSE has targeted a very wide

range of visitors by choosing not to focus on a specific

age group. It supports tourism by attracting visitors who

wish to discover the thousands of relations between the

MUSE’s themes and the Alpine territory, and in particular

curious and attentive families, a must in the museum’s

tradition, and school groups that find an exceptional

educational tool in the many exhibitions and workshops

offered. All this in order to help understand the paths

to be followed in the fields of energy and of respect for

natural resources, widening the view to encompass what

new technology and biotechnology can offer, so as to

take steps towards a harmonious symbiosis between

mankind and the environment.

This is where the investment in future generations

begins.

It may come as a surprise, though, that MUSE also

welcomes young “nerds”, i.e. the aficionados of

new technologies, young people in search of places

where they can test their skills in interacting with new

technologies in a laboratory designed especially for

them. School groups, families, young people and “start

uppers” have at their disposal a Digital Fabrication

laboratory, which is another way of finalizing the

reasoning about our future. Knowledge, awareness and

responsibility: the future is in our hands and it is up to us

to design and plan it!

15.15.

A 21st-century museum is no longer solely a collection of

a large number of valuable objects on display. Nowadays

it offers technology, innovation and interactivity so as

to make its visitors participate in science. A valuable

example of this, to be found within MUSE, is personal

digital fabrication. The FabLab (fabrication laboratory) is

a small workshop open to the public that offers tools for

“personal digital fabrication” such as 3D printers, laser

cutters, vinyl plotters, an array of Arduino processors,

etc... The FabLab concept was created at the MIT in

Boston about ten years ago for a course called “How To

Make (Almost) Anything“. The idea met with immediate

success and soon leaked from the campuses to the

rest of the world. Today there are more than 60 FabLabs

throughout the world. The MUSE FabLab will be put in

direct contact with other FabLabs operating at several

Italian enterprise incubators but will operate within the

global network in order to exchange proposals and

objects with the rest of the world.

But what’s a fabrication laboratory? It’s a place where

you can exchange ideas and make projects, a space in

which anyone can design and build their own objects.

Many think that only small models or toys can be made

in a fabrication laboratory, but in actual fact one can

conceive food products, design, furniture, musical

instruments, research, technology. Someone has even

used it to “print” a whole house!

In addition to being a place for creatives, a fabrication

laboratory is also a place for learning and training. It is a

laboratory made for solving local problems, a community

of resources and skills, a platform for social and

economic innovation. More in general, it’s a place where

one can talk, discuss the future and fabricate almost

anything. Next to the MUSE FabLab is the “Innovation

Showroom”. This area is dedicated to start-ups or

innovative firms invited to present their products, not

for sale but for showing us how sustainability-oriented

innovation is part of the process of development and

growth of a territory’s ability to invent its own future

and construct creative and quality job opportunities.

A specific committee, consisting of the province’s

stakeholders in the fields of research, innovation and

development, will work with MUSE in selecting the

enterprises to be invited. With its Showroom, MUSE

is poised to become a permanent showcase for the

creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of Trentino in the field

of innovation development aimed at the achievement of

a sustainable, durable and desirable future.

FabLab: hands-on scienceThe Digital Fabrication laboratoryworthy of a 21st-century science museum

FabLab, interactive, nerd,start-up, innovation showroom,

sustainability, durable future,

creativity, economy, environment,

society, digital fabrication,Arduino, 3D printers, solid prototyping

16.

An experience that is astonishing, thrilling, captivating.

As thrilling as science that is done, thought out,

experienced. A space dedicated to children because

MUSE wants even its very youngest visitors to

experience the processes of discovery, thinking,

observation and experimenting. It begins with what they

know how to do best: touch, smell, look and see, hear.

Maxi Ooh! is a place that encourages just

that - experimentation with the senses by providing

ever-diverse and original opportunities for doing so.

Indeed, Maxi Ooh! appears as a netutral place in terms

of lines and colors. It seems almost suspended, waiting.

This is when no one is inside. It doesn’t move if no one

moves, it doesn’t show anything if there isn’t someone

doing something.

But when children enter to admire the room, Maxi Ooh! opens up to experiences of wonder, discovery and

knowledge. Maxi Ooh! expresses the feelings of those

inside it. It lights up in colour and moves in dialogue

with the thoughts, the actions and gestures of the

“inhabitant”. It vibrates with the curiosity that drives to

explore, with the richness of the gestures one may make

and the paths one can take to meet the world.

Maxi Ooh! is an experience capable of opening horizons

beyond the usual ones for children who always look

with wide-open and bright eyes and open mind at

whatever is interesting, non-customary, enriching and

even amusing, at what they have already or never seen,

touched, smelled or tasted. The things they know -

and those they don’t, because they anyhow feel their

greatness and, at the same time, their vicinity. Maxi Ooh!

is big: in the project it grew up to occupy 200 m2, also in

response to the requirements of the people interviewed

who requested a museum attentive to children’s needs,

and this is just the beginning - the beginning of life and

of knowledge. In the glass-encompassed space, the

coloured spheres offer the opportunity for exploration

and conquest. As passing planets, just stopping by, they

convey the idea of being finite and at the same infinite,

of cells and of hyperspace, of research that observes the

infinitely small and perceives the infinitely large.

Maxi Ooh! is a metaphor. It does not prescribe, it

suggests, immediately becoming a place of trust, where

everything joyously interacts with the senses. Each

sphere is dedicated to a specific sense, but children

know how to keep them together - they experiment

and learn with everything, with their body, mind and

emotions. A body that moves and causes movement,

that listens and creates with the voice, that is curious

Maxi Ooh! Discovery startswith the sensesA discovery experience for very small children

Intelligent Technology that responds to action, that can

feel, Soft, Babult (baby + adult),

Attentive, Welcoming, Touchable,

Sensitive, Creative, Beautiful

17.

and explores, that reveals secrets and is charmed. It

is a space without indications, where not even adults

teach but participate in the amazement. This is why the

audience of Maxi Ooh! is made up of babults – pairs

consisting of children (babies) and accompanying

grown-ups (adults) – who all together discover the

ambient, build up experience and share a new way of

staying together. Sensorized floors, walls, rooms, virtual

and real, which react and change in step with the space

and its possible uses.

Even the water in the washroom may move in new ways,

just like the changing lights and the different surfaces

that provide the skin with various sensations,

according to the choices and levels of curiosity

of the visitor entering it.

Inside and among the spheres, the game of science is

born and evokes the elements of life, sending back to

the children an idea of themselves as creators of unusual

scenarios.

Maxi Ooh! is a place in which one feels good,

a place as pleasant and interesting as the discovery

that starts from one’s senses and goes beyond them to

become knowledge to share with others.

Maxi Ooh! is a place for childrenwith- children

relations and relations between children and the adults

accompanying them. It is a place that allows adults to

better understand, to learn a bit more from the children,

to rediscover the authenticity and beauty of science.

Science, not magic, because it’s all true and yet

surprising. For children aged 0 to 5 and their parents or

caregivers. Too bad, all the others might exclaim!

EUROPE 2020

The European Commission has launched the Europe

2020 strategy for overcoming the current financial crisis

and preparing the EU economy for the next decade.

There are three key priorities and five headline targets

for boosting the economic system and for promoting

“smart, sustainable and inclusive” growth based on

greater coordination among national and European

policies.

3 key priorities:

smart growth: development of an economy based on

education and innovation

sustainable growth: promotion of a more effective

economy in terms of resources, greener and more

•Innovationunion

•DigitalagendaforEurope

•Anindustrialpolicyfortheglobalisationera

• Europeanplatformagainstpoverty

• Youthonthemove

• Resource-efficientEurope

• Anagendafornewskillsandjobs

18.

competitive;

inclusive growth: promotion of an economy with high

labour rates, favouring social and local cohesion.

These are structured in seven flagship initiatives:

The greenhouse will host the unique and exclusive

endemic plant species of the Eastern Arc mountains in

Tanzania, thus giving visitors the chance to appreciate up

close the great diversity in shapes and colours of one of

our planet’s greatest biodiversity hotspots and indicating

with precision the traditional uses and medicinal values

of the more significant species. Visitors will thus be able

to admire the scented flowers of Tabernaemontana, so

similar to jasmine, touch the water-filled trunks of wild

banana trees, walk through the fascinating fronds of tree

ferns and discover the natural habitat of African violets,

those most popular of houseplants. There will be food

plant species carefully chosen to highlight agricultural

biodiversity, with special focus on local varieties and on

the less well-known and more typical African species,

such as oyster nut, arrow root, caiano, bambara, fonio,

sorghum, African beans, sweet potatoes, etc... To com-

plete the reconstruction of the agricultural landscape,

the greenhouse will also contain other species of global

interest, such as cocoa, coffee, tea, pepper, vanilla, sugar

The Eastern Arc:the tropical mountain greenhouseA project ranging from researchto international cooperation

cane, oil palm, banana and teak, for example, in order to

illustrate the impact that global markets have on tropical

lands and how the consumptions of the western world

influence and alter the landscape cultivated in tropical

areas. Finally, a special section will be dedicated to tro-

pical cosmetic plants, such as argan, jojoba and karité,

used in most of our cosmetic products. The greenhou-

se will also be home to small animals: birds, reptiles,

amphibians and invertebrates as well as many tropical

frog and butterfly species. All of this will be contained

in 600 square metres of forest, enlivened by a grand,

roaring waterfall and featuring the perpendicularity of the

steep cliffs and inclinations typical of those mountains. A

comfortable pathway leads the visitors-explorers on an

imaginary ascent of the Udzungwa mountains, starting

off from the valley of the Kilombero River, passing next to

rural huts and crossing through a small street market at

which they can taste unusual foods and admire traditio-

nal artefacts. The voyage proceeds through the pristine

forest (“msitu” in the Swahili language), to discover

19.

tropical trees, flowers and animals, observe the traditio-

nal uses of the same and appreciate their uniqueness

and fragility. At the end of this incredible voyage visitors

can accept the museum’s invitation to collaborate in

the international conservation and cooperation projects

under way to reduce poverty and support the education

and development of local populations while respecting

one of the world’s most threatened environments. Great

attention has been paid to the greenhouse’s functionality

and sustainability via the application of the best possible

technologies, so as to minimize energy consumption

and favour water and power savings. Among the many

measures adopted to this end is the glass vault that pro-

vides excellent illumination and insulation; the adiabatic

reutilization of heat and water during ventilation cycles;

pre-heating and pre-cooling of the air by means of an

underground duct; the use of low environmental impact

products coming from effectively renewable sources;

integrated control of the most widespread pathogens.

The greenhouse is the symbolic place of encounter

between faraway environments linked to the culture of

and the respect for mountains, set forth with the spirit

of collaboration that has always been a key element of

Trentino’s outlook on the rest of the world.

20.

The main visit itinerary starts on the MUSE’s terrace

for a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding landscape

encompassing the city, the river, the mountains on

the horizon and the sky, and then continues from the

fourth floor down to the tropical greenhouse.

+ 5 Terrace

+ 4 High altitude, Exploration

+ 3 Nature in the Alps

+ 2 Geology of the Dolomites Civil Defence Temporary exhibitions

+ 1 Alpine pre-history and Sustainability Planetarium FabLab BioLab Meeting room

0 Entrance hall Maxi-Ooh! children’s area Interactive Museum - 1 Evolution Biology Temporary exhibitions

- 1 Tropical greenhouse

Discovering MUSEThe exhibition galleries

21.

FLOOR +4HIGH ALTITUDE, EXPLORATION

Main themes:

• Summitsandglaciers-theAlpsandbeyond

• Lifeformsandadaptation

• Glaciermonitoring

• Climatechange

• Explorersandmountaineers

• ManandNatureathighaltitudes

High-altitude mountains have always been a place of

fascination for travellers and explorers, bringing them

closer to peaks and glaciers, a rigid world with extreme,

yet intriguing and mysterious environmental conditions.

The “highest” exhibition galleries of the museum guide

visitors across the mountain tops, astonishing them with

live sensations that can be experienced only there, and

transmitting to them the importance of learning about

the geological and biological elements of the Alps, that

are physically distant but constantly in close relationship

with mankind. Inside an immersive tunnel, they will

experience high altitude emotions with breathtaking

flights above the peaks of the Alps and Dolomites, the

glaciers and forests. Even the noises and impressions

will be those of the Alpine landscape with its specific

dynamics and evolutions. A video wall shows visitors

the real-time weather and climate situation of several

locations in Trentino and elsewhere in the Alps and

a direct view of Everest transmitted by a webcam

installed at an elevation of 8,000 metres above sea level.

One exhibit area is dedicated to the description of the

glacial environment via a large-sized reconstruction of

an Alpine glacier and of its typical geomorphological

elements; another is dedicated to the glaciers of the

world and their social, environmental, economic, energy-

related and scientific importance. The exhibition area is

enriched by images, videos and tales of key moments in

glaciological research. Obviously, mention is also made

of the first explorers to venture into unknown Alpine

valleys and to set foot on mountain peaks in order to be

able to describe their naturalistic aspects. There are also

stories told by “historical” mountaineers who wandered

the mountains with sportsmanlike spirit, presented

together with the mountaineering equipment of the

times: old-style crampons, ice axes, hemp ropes and

pitons. The result is an itinerary enriched by the unique

sensations that high altitude mountains offer, from the

reading of “ice logs” to the mementoes of past explorers

and climbers attracted to the summits, and by the feeling

of mystery that emanates from these remote places.

Must-sees:

An equipped bridge along which, as they walk, visitors

can experience the depth and sensation of the big void

on the one side and, on the other side, physically touch a

glacier front consisting of real rocks, vegetation and ice,

observing up close the biological and geomorphological

elements composing the areas modelled by the glacier’s

fluctuations.

An ice core, extracted by Italian researchers in

Antarctica, that through the “reading” of the various ice

strata allows a reconstruction of past climate.

22.

FLOOR +3NATURE IN THE ALPS

Main themes:

• Alpinefloraandfauna

• Adaptationsandsurvivalstrategies

• Ecosystems

Biodiversity in the Alps – a veritable “vertical mosaic”

of different environments populated by animal and

plant species perfectly adapted, and for this reason

unique – is the pivotal centre around which the exhibition

galleries on the 3rd floor rotate. This is where visitors are

presented with the themes of environmental complexity,

of ecosystem-based relations between animal and plant

species and of survival strategies linked, among other

things, to the marked difference between the seasons.

The gallery called “The Biodiversity Labyrinth” offers

an imaginary descent along a mountain trail that

crosses through 26 different environments, including

two aquariums, seamlessly blending one into the other

to create mutual interconnections. The aim of this

suggestive installation is to inspire in the visitor the same

emotions felt in the real natural mountain environment,

such as the encounter with wild animals, the listening

to their calls, the watching of a preying action and of

courting rituals. Each environment is revealed in an

intuitive and striking way using communication methods

that range from the use of taxidermied animals “frozen”

in plastic postures to that of interactive virtual surface

technology. The marked difference between seasons

in Alpine habitats is used to link the highlight panels of

the “Changing with the seasons” gallery, dedicated to

migration, to flowering and pollination, to life in the water

and to thermoregulation. Natural findings, taxidermied

animals and replicas, documentaries and video diaries,

interactive exhibits and multimedia games help visitors

gain a deeper insight into adaptation for survival in

environments that change drastically throughout the

four seasons. A special area dedicated to the desire

to learn and discover is reserved for young visitors

and to the adults accompanying them: the discovery

room called “Explore the forest”, containing a large

tree to be explored, corners dedicated to dressing and

to interactive game activities, and a panel of drawers

filled with findings and natural objects at the disposal

of budding scientists. This space has been specifically

designed for young children, aged 4 to 8, to be enjoyed

alone, with their parents or with a facilitator. The space

and the objects placed at their disposal offer children the

chance to explore the natural world that surrounds them

via the use of the senses. The overall atmosphere of

the room is quite captivating and stimulates the natural

curiosity typical of small children while introducing them

to the “scientific” discovery concept. Its key features

are the multi-sensorial and interactive approach, the

recreational and emotional aspect, the ability to stimulate

children’s curiosity and allow them to independently seek

the solutions and answers to the queries posed.

Must-sees:

The stuffed animals, including the wolf next to the golden

jackal (the first proof of its recent arrival in Trentino), and

the micro-dioramas, such as the large Formica rufa ant

nest, the inside of which can be explored by visitors.

The small stratagems that bring the labyrinth to life.

The chance to explore using the senses.

An interactive and dynamic game for four players that

brings together speed, focus and reflexes, in which you

can play the part of the prey or of the predator, both

always quite hungry!

The migration game that leads the visitor along the

various stages of this long and epic journey.

23.

FLOOR +2THE LONG HISTORYOF THE DOLOMITES,A WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Main themes:

• GeologyoftheAlpsandDolomites

• Geologicalandtectonicphenomena

• Mininghistory

• Theuseofundergroundresources

• Geologicalhazards

• Environmentalhazards

• Civildefence

The itinerary introduces visitors to the geomorphological

evolution of the Alps by means of a multimedia-rich

voyage enhanced by a selection of geological objects

(rocks, fossils and minerals). The exhibition is an

invitation to discover through entertainment the evolution

of the geological environments of the past - ancient

mountains, volcanoes, deserts, tropical seas, coral

reefs and ocean depths that preceded the Alps. Visitors

can get acquainted with the geodynamic process that,

as a result of the incredible pressure forces generated

during Alpine orogeny, caused the ancient ocean beds

to lift above sea level and then fold back and break, thus

forming the Alps. The first part of the itinerary ends with

the geomorphological processes that occurred and are

still ongoing in Earth’s recent history, such as glaciation,

mass wasting and karstification. Their combined action

has resulted in the Alpine landscape we admire today.

In the second part of the exhibition, the focus shifts

to the relationship between mankind and the abiotic

dimension of the natural environment. The section

dedicated to mineral resources stresses the importance

of the role these “raw materials” played among

prehistoric Alpine populations and up until our present

time, leaving evident traces of this in the landscape as

well as in the history and social fabric of mountain

peoples. The itinerary ends with the illustration of

geological and environmental hazards and with the

vulnerability of the Alpine territory. Via the simulation

of possible disaster scenarios connected to natural

phenomena such as earthquakes, landslides, avalanches

and floods, visitors can observe and interact with the

complex civil defence machine.

Must-sees:

The tropical seawater aquarium containing a typical

coral reef ecosystem that illustrates the environment

where the rocks that comprise the Dolomitic massifs

formed.

Cave with Pepper’s ghost effects, a special optical

illusion technique, steeps visitors in an underground

karst environment with its typical stalactites, stalagmites,

remains of Ursus spelaeus and archeological findings,

and shows them how speleologists work.

How to address a natural disaster: an interactive

multimedia station offers visitors the chance to walk

in the shoes of a civil defence operator and learn to

address various kinds of natural hazards. This means

taking decisions, measuring and using weather, hydro-

geologic and seismic data, contact and despatch rescue

teams and teams of expert geologists, engineers, forest

rangers, etc.

Mountain floods: what defence? An interactive exhibit

that illustrates flood protections in the mountains.

Visitors will learn how the weirs built along Alpine

streams help defend the inhabitants of human

settlements in the event of heavy rainfalls.

24.

FLOOR +1FROM THE FIRST MEN IN THE ALPS TO OUR GLOBAL FUTURE

Main themes:

• HumansettlementoftheAlps

• Hunter-gatherers

• TheprehistoricsiteRiparoDalmeri

• Cityplanningandinfrastructures

• Environmentalimpactanalysis

• Sustainability

• Economyandsociety

• Showroomoftechnologicalinnovation

A spiral-shaped structure invites visitors to enter the

world of prehistory. The main local findings on display at

MUSE are kept in glass cases, and illustrate the key

phases of the cultural, economic and social evolution in

the prehistory of the Alps: the presence of Neanderthal

men in the southern Alpine ranges during the warmer

phases of the latest glacial period of the middle

Paleolithic; the arrival of Homo sapiens at the end of the

great glaciations in the late Paleolithic and their spread

to the inner valleys of the Alps during the Mesolithic; the

onset of agriculture and livestock raising in the Neolithic

and the great technological innovations brought on with

the processing of metals in proto-history.

25.

Multimedia equipment provides thematic insights

stemming from the exhibits on display, while the

reproduction of human figures performing everyday

activities enliven the exhibition, drawing the visitor

into an immersive space where videos enhance the

suggestion and excitement of living in prehistoric times.

Two aquariums host lake species in two archeological

contexts: a high altitude site and a lake-dwelling site.

The corridor leading to the next gallery introduces the

visitor to the contemporary theme of sustainability via a

sensorial exhibit that illustrates the speed at which our

technological world is evolving.

The present & the future,fit for mankind

The evident changes in the delicate balances of the soil,

oceans, atmosphere and bio-geo-chemical cycles of our

planet, as well as the excessive loss rates in biodiversity

caused by anthropogenic pressure, have had dire effects

on Earth’s stability. The intrinsic correlation and the

extreme complexity of natural systems make any kind

of forecast difficult. The attempt to provide an answer

to this question is the beating heart of this exhibit

consisting of a suspended interactive sphere that helps

explain complex environmental processes in a way that

is simultaneously intuitive and captivating, while all

around the themes concerning economy, society and

technology are tackled, taking visitors on a voyage in

search of a paradigm capable of contemplating a culture

of the limit and of complexity.

Finally, in the FabLab everyone can become the star of

an innovative technology: their own. Given the chance

to design and print their own inventions in 3D, visitors

can realise their own made-to-measure technological

artefacts. In the FabLab it will also be possible to

download and print in 3D an object invented in the USA

or in China. The very concept of open source expands

and moves from the software to the hardware.

Must-sees:

Time machine: a thrilling voyage back in time to see how

our prehistoric ancestors lived, from the Neanderthal

hunters to the shaman of the Riparo Dalmeri site, and to

observe high altitude hunting scenes, the crafting of clay

artefacts, life in lake dwellings and the votive pyres of

protohistory.

Painted stones at the Riparo Dalmeri site: over 200

stones with ochre paintings depicting ibex, bison, plants

and human figures are the unique and exceptional

evidence of the spiritual aspects in the lives of the

prehistoric hunters who lived in the Alpine valleys.

Interactive NOAA sphere: NOAA (National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration) researchers have designed

a special software to illustrate the Earth System science

to visitors of all ages.

Animated images of atmospheric storms, the

consequences of climate change, the movement of the

continents and much more can be shown on the sphere

to explain natural processes. The spherical shape of the

screen on which the images are projected provides a

clear view of our planet’s dynamics.

26.

FLOOR 0Maxi-Ooh!AND THE SCIENCE GYMNASIUM

The ground floor contains two absolutely novel

exhibition spaces. One is called Maxi-Ooh! and is

dedicated to small children, and the other is the

Science Gymnasium, the hands-on area designed to

allow visitors to interact with lab equipment and try out

science experiments.

Maxi-Ooh! is an exclusive sensorial space for children,

where their senses of hearing, touching and seeing

are stimulated via the use of heated floors, sensorised

rooms, video projections, virtual interactions and even

an interactive washroom. Children can learn and have

fun together with a parent or accompanying adult, facing

their first action experiences in the world.

The Science Gymnasium is a hands-on space focused

on the interaction between visitors and scientific

equipment and experiments. It is populated with a series

of suspended objects and machines that reproduce true

physical phenomena.

For a more detailed description, see page 14.

FLOOR -1EVOLUTION, DINOSAURS, DNA

Main themes:

• TheEarth’sorigins

• Evolutionofthefirstlifeforms

• Lifeexplodesintheseasandondryland

• Landandwaterreptiles,dinosaurs

• Thediversificationofmammals

• DNAandbiotechnology

• Solidarityamongpeoples

This floor is a constituent element of the MUSE project,

in that it addresses themes such as evolution, focuses

on the relationship between man and nature, examines

biological processes and DNA dynamics. More: it offers

the audience the fascinating history of dinosaurs, while

still retaining the common theme of informal learning

through interactive experience, play and observation.

The exhibition starts with five land reptiles, including

three dinosaurs, their fossil footprints and other small

findings narrated using monitors, explanatory panels

and graphics. Opposite these are four marine reptiles

and, hanging from above, the skeleton of a flying reptile.

Reptiles and mammals are the scientific pretext for

27.

analysing mass extinction phenomena.

The itinerary begins with a set of suspended showcases

that narrate the formation of the Solar System and of

planet Earth, guiding the visitor on a journey of over

four billion years back in time to see the conditions

that produced the first forms of life, the subsequent

evolutionary explosion of life in the seas and the

conquest of dry land. Further on, we find the evolution

of mammals, with skeletons and models of living

mammals and fossils. The story of the discovery of

biological diversification is then followed by a compelling

explanation of evolution and DNA using two multimedia

installations. The first, called “The tree of life”, is a large

dynamic projection revealing the ceaseless unravelling

of evolutionary courses and the connections existing

between more or less similar species. Secondly, the DNA

installation is a space that illustrates the unifying aspect

of DNA across all life forms, ours included, and explains

its uniqueness, evolution and functional mechanisms.

The narrations are completed with amazing exhibits and

objects linked to the narration, “special” in that they are

different from those previously encountered by the visitor

in the rest of the museum.

Must-sees:

The bizarre organisms of the Burgess Shale Fauna: an

extraordinary laboratory of evolution over 500 million

years old. Unique reconstructions lead visitors to

discover incredibly shaped arthropods and the first

representatives of the animal group to which we belong,

the Chordates.

The Dinosaurs of the Dolomites. Up until the end of the

20th century, the presence of dinosaurs in Italy was

thought to be highly improbable. A series of exceptional

fossil finds, many of them in the Dolomites, have proved

otherwise . The Dinosaur Gallery showcases large

skeletons of reptiles and dinosaurs and describes their

habits and the enigmatic traces of their passage.

28.

THE TROPICALMOUNTAIN GREENHOUSE

The tropical greenhouse is a vital part of the museum

project. It is a veritable “hothouse” designed to grow

and conserve a rainforest. It survives thanks to complex

functional dynamics and requires specific temperature

and humidity settings to keep its insects, plants and

animals alive.

This area is an interpretation of planetary biodiversity

within a global context of sustainability. It is a fragile

environment, constantly at risk and threatened, and is

a paradigm of the need to find alternative methods for

development. The greenhouse idea is founded on the

research activities the museum has been conducting

in the last decade on the Eastern Arc mountains in

Tanzania, aimed at the conservation of the natural

environment with the active participation of local

communities.

29.

The Science Museum conducts basic and applied multi-

disciplinary research in the field of natural sciences with

the aim to investigate, interpret, educate, discuss and

inspire on themes concerning nature, science, innovation

and a sustainable future.

Due to its proven capacity to produce and disseminate

high quality scientific content, MUSE is the only museum

to have been recognized by the Autonomous Province of

Trento as a “research entity”, on a par with the University

of Trento and with the two major Trentino-based

foundations, Mach and Kessler, and to have become

a member of the Trentino System for Research and

Superior Education (“Sistema Trentino della Ricerca e

dell’Alta Formazione”).

At MUSE, research is conducted by over 40 researchers

working in seven units (scientific departments): Botany,

Limnology and Algology, Invertebrate Zoology and

Hydrobiology, Vertebrate Zoology, Tropical Biodiversity,

Geology, Pre-history. Their activity is carried out in two

thematic macro-areas: i) Biodiversity and Ecology, and

ii) Study of the environment, palaeo-environment and

anthropic landscape. These have been recently joined

by the Science and Society section that studies the

relations between nature, science and human society.

The researchers are assisted by a team of cultural

mediators; they are committed to the divulgation of the

researches conducted inside the museum and to the

design of activities regarding superior education and

cultural mediation.

To this end, the complex network of institutions within

the Autonomous Province of Trento finds in MUSE

qualified professionals capable not only of producing

scientific content but also of transferring it together with

that produced by other entities, from the researcher to

the citizens, in the leading and most interesting research

sectors in the province.

MUSE is confirmed as being a centre of excellence as

regards the following:

- studies on the documentation and conservation of

Alpine water and land fauna and flora. The aim of these

studies is to document and monitor biodiversity in

Trentino, to create databases (mainly for insects and

vertebrates), checklists and red lists, and to produce

predictive models of the distribution of biodiversity in

protected and urbanized areas. These studies produce

important application outcomes by supplying cognitive

tools used in the drafting of land management plans;

- studies, on the effects of climate and environment

changes on natural Alpine ecosystems and on Alpine

biodiversity. These include basic and even experimental

studies, the aim of which is to assess the effect of

various kinds of impact on Alpine biodiversity, to create

forecasting models for biodiversity trends in response to

such impacts, to define new naturalness bio-indicators,

to assess the risk of extinction of Alpine species.

Of special importance at national and international

levels are the current studies on water springs, glacial

streams, pro-glacial outwash plains and rock glaciers

as regards the shrinking of glaciers and global warming.

In particular, these studies are connected to the

implementation of the MUSE’s algal and entomologic

collections; - studies on the ex situ conservation,

propagation, cultivation and re-introduction of Alpine

plant species (seed bank). The aim of these studies is to

An internationalresearch centre

30.

set up in Trentino a centre for the long-term conservation

of the germplasm of native Alpine plants at risk of

extinction, of the wild ancestors of cultivated plants and

of the ancient and under-used varieties of cultigens. In

addition to the local plant species, tropical species are

being collected, thus elevating the MUSE seed bank to

international levels;

- studies regarding the biodiversity and conservation

of tropical and sub-tropical regions. These studies

range from the inventorying of biological diversities in

relatively unknown and sometimes unexplored areas,

with subsequent analyses of the bio-geographical

patterns and of speciation dynamics, to the study of

the population and the ecological modelling of key

species of forest ecosystems. Most of the activities

are focused on the Tanzanian rainforest areas (Eastern

Arc Mountains), one of the world’s most important

biodiversity hotspots, where MUSE has a local outpost;

- paleontological and ichnological research. The

purpose of these studies is to quantify the presence of

fossil dinosaurs and of other land reptiles in Trentino,

and therefore to find paleontological excavation sites

and to study their distribution in space and in time,

as well as their conservation and enhancement for

public use. In this capacity, MUSE is often summoned

by important foreign science institutions to intervene

in extra-territorial contexts; - geological research.

These studies include the documentation of the local

area’s geodiversity, aimed at better comprehending

the relations between the natural environment and the

historical dynamics of anthropogenic change. This

research is also highly important at local level, as it is

associated with the drafting of geological maps and of

documents for the prevention of geological hazards;

- studies on speleothems and meteoric cave water.

The aim of these studies is to reconstruct past

climate changes in Trentino by sampling and studying

underground calcite and water and by monitoring

underground soil in Trentino caves;

- studies on pre-history. These studies mainly refer to

research on the first human settlements in the Alps

(in the Last Glacial and Early Holocene periods) that

highlight the close links between the land exploitation

and social organization models of human groups and

the reconstruction of ancient landscapes. Of special

significance are the numerous prehistoric mobiliary art

findings uncovered in the prehistoric excavation sites in

Trentino.

- studies on the relations between nature, science and

society. These studies concern the interconnections

between scientific and technological innovation and

social implications, with special emphasis on the

sustainability aspects of biological and environmental

science and its applications. These studies, conducted

together with other international institutions,

interconnect those who produce, use and manage

innovation in order to support MUSE in its capacity as

main point of reference for a world of knowledge in

which anyone can have access to new information.

The research conducted by MUSE has a strong impact

on the territory at local level since it can provide useful

indications for environmental management, even in

terms of tourist use. For a number of years MUSE

researchers have been working to define wildlife

protection plans at various scale levels and design action

plans concerning species, habitats and environments.

More specifically, and assisted by professionals working

with the Autonomous Province of Trento, they help

develop incidence evaluations when they view local

patterns or areas within their specific competence.

At the same time, MUSE research activities are of

national and international relevance, as demonstrated

by the museum’s participation in congresses and

conferences, publication of scientific and divulgation

articles (about 60 per year) and membership in European

projects and networks.

Finally, as traditionally expected of a museum, MUSE

research results are also connected to the increase in

the collections, which remain the best proof of natural

and human diversity in time and space and are important

research tools placed at the scientific community’s

disposal (to date, MUSE preserves about 300 collections

and over 4.5 million objects and specimens covering a

time span of over two centuries).

31.

The Science Museum of Trento (MUSE) is an

instrumental body of the Autonomous Province of Trento,

the purpose of which is to interpret nature starting from

the mountain landscape by using the tools and queries

of scientific research, by picking up the challenges of

contemporary life, by inviting visitors to unleash their

scientific curiosity and to appreciate the pleasures of

knowledge, so as to promote science, innovation and

sustainability.

It expresses a process that has always been a key

feature of this land in terms of both ecological and

educational challenges. Trento, in fact, boasts a network

of museums that makes this region an icon of research

and science dissemination since ever. Moreover,

together with MART in Rovereto and with Castello del

Buonconsiglio, it acts as yet another promoter of the

Adige Valley as a place with high cultural intensity levels,

worth visiting the whole year round.

Udzungwa EcologicalMonitoring Centre, Tanzania

The Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre (UEMC)

was established in the Udzungwa Mountains National

Park, Tanzania, in 2006, and is part of a nature

conservation program that the Science Museum has

A network of different kinds of knowledgeTanzania, London, Mart, dialogue,

culture, Caproni, environmental

education, Ecsite, lake dwellings,

Terrace of the Stars

been conducting in Tanzania for 10 years now. The

area’s international stature and the need to monitor its

biodiversity have led the Science Museum to found the

Ecological Monitoring Centre as a structure supporting

the National Park in the development of biodiversity

monitoring and environmental education programs

for primary schools. Since 2009, the Centre has been

running the first African site of a pan-tropical network

of research stations for the standardized monitoring

of biodiversity (Tropical Ecology, Assessment and

Monitoring). The Centre’s staff, consisting of about 20

Tanzanians, closely collaborates with the National Park’s

staff in taking censuses of the most important species

and in collecting data regarding the conditions of the

forests. In addition to this, an environmental education

program for nearby schools was launched in 2008.

The Centre contains living quarters for researchers, an

office and resources for assisting research activities,

a large hall for seminars and a hostel opened in 2010

for conducting superior education courses on tropical

biodiversity, intended for local as well as international

students.

Gianni Caproni Air Museum

Founded in 1927 by engineer Gianni Caproni (1886 –

1957) and his wife Timina Guasti, the Gianni Caproni Air

Museum is Italy’s first “company museum” as well as

the oldest air museum in the world. Today’s structure,

standing in Mattarello (Trento), was opened in 1992

to collect and exhibit the world-famous collection

of airplanes and historical mementoes collected by

the Caproni family. Of the many notable pieces of

the collection, nine are unique examples of historical

airplanes.

32.

Lake-Dwellings Museumof Lake Ledro

The eastern coast of Lake Ledro in Trentino is the

location of very important archeological findings. Since

the 1930’s, various excavation campaigns have revealed

the remains of a lake-dwelling village dating back to the

early-middle Bronze Age (2200 to 1350 B.C.). The area

was proclaimed a UNESCO world heritage site in 2011.

Alpine Botanical GardenViote di Monte Bondone

Established in the 1930’s to promote the knowledge and

safeguarding of Alpine flora, the Alpine Botanical Garden

located in the Viote hollow on Monte Bondone is one

of the oldest and largest of its kind in the Alps. Today

it nurtures more than 1,000 species of Alpine plants,

especially medicinal plants and species under threat

of extinction. The seeds of the latter are collected and

placed in a seed bank accessible to the international

network of botanical gardens.

Terrace of the StarsViote del Monte Bondone

The “Terrace of the Stars” observatory, located in the

Viote hollow on Monte Bondone, is the ideal venue for

observing stars in the night sky. Just a few kilometres

from the city of Trento, the observatory has powerful

telescopes that, with the help of expert operators,

become privileged instruments for admiring the heavens.

Limnological Stationof Lake Tovel – Tuenno

The Limnological Station of Lake Tovel, opened in 2003

as part of the Life-Tovel project, has been used since

2006 for research and for summer school camps for

university students, educational activities for schools

and as a tool of scientific interpretation and mediation

for the general public. All of the activities are carried out

in cooperation with the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park

and the Municipality of Tuenno.

Geological Museumof the Dolomites – Predazzo

In close collaboration with the Municipality of Predazzo,

this museum specialises in geology of the Dolomites

(included in the prestigious UNESCO world heritage

site list on 26 June 2009) and especially in that of the

Fiemme and Fassa valleys. First established in 1899 as a

“Social Museum” by the association “Società Magistrale

di Fiemme e Fassa”, today it is celebrating over 100

years of history. Its collections include a comprehensive

selection of local paleontological samples and many

mineral ore pieces that constitute a veritable geological

treasure. The museum works together with Italian

universities in the field of the stratigraphy of the Mid-

Triassic period.

International scope

The Science Museum is proud of its participation in

many cooperation and partnership projects worldwide.

Among many prestigious partnerships, the most

significant is that with the Natural History Museum of

London that has contributed in setting up the content

material for MUSE, as well as that with the international

network ECSITE - European Network of Science Centres

and Museums, with headquarters in Brussels.

33.

In 1992, the exhibition “Dinosaurs - The world of

dinosaurs” attracted a large audience of over 50,000

visitors in a period of just two months. This highlighted

the assumption that the museum could widen its

audience and enhance its science divulgation mission

by attracting visitors from outside the province too. The

90’s confirmed the museum’s commitment to produce

and host interactive exhibitions, in the wake of modern

science centres throughout the world.

These are places where dynamic action and informal

learning supercede the “old school” way of addressing

museum displays. It’s a novelty in Italy, shared with “La

Città della Scienza di Napoli” the science city in Naples.

“I giocattoli e la scienza” (Toys and Science) in 1995

was the first interactive exhibition. It set the pace for

the museum’s subsequent activities, such as “Il Diluvio

universale” (The Deluge), “Energia 2001” (Energy 2001),

“Destinazione stelle” (Destination: the Stars), “Tutti a

nanna” (Everyone to bed), “Pianeta Rosso” (The Red

Planet), “I giochi di Einstein” (Einstein’s Games), “Pole

Position”, “La scimmia nuda” (The Naked Monkey),

“Spaziale” (Spatial) and “Homo Sapiens”. Since then,

traditional methods and innovation seem to coexist in

symbiosis. The path is clear.

The “new course” was met with favour and, at the

same time, a new generation of researchers started

to reap the benefits of European Community funding

for environmental research. Botanists, zoologists

and geologists carried out research on behalf of

the Autonomous Province of Trento departments in

charge of environmental management. Universities

assigned research projects and requested student

apprenticeships for Master’s and PhD theses.

The new role played by the museum in the research

field was presented in 1997 with the temporary

exhibition “The Museum studies the Alps”, expressing

the new need to communicate with the audience in

innovative ways and with eyes always focused on

contemporaneity.

Thus the museum was no longer a display of objects

and specimens but rather a live, open and dialoguing

entity, useful to society in building an idea and a plan

of the future. The good work done also brought in

excellent profits, along with a capacity for self-funding

in research that in some years exceeded 40% of the

costs of this sector. Space, however, remained cramped

also because the Museum’s gradually opened up to

international artists and scholars.

In 2000, the exhibition “The Deluge” revealed an in-

depth change in the ‘museum’ concept.

No more dusty showcases and taxidermied animals,

replaced by a 24-hour-a-day museum space capable

of attracting, at different hours of the day, school

groups, families and researchers. This model, based on

From the Tridentine Museumof Natural Science to MUSE

34.

From the Tridentine Museumof Natural Science to MUSE

interaction and experimentation, was a perfect match

with schools.

The museum became a large teaching laboratory

attended by the schools of Trentino and of adjoining

regions thanks to a sound educational programme.

The museum then proceeded to lengthen its reach

by encompassing other regional sections, namely

sites linked to the Trento headquarters but located

elsewhere within Trentino, at locations of very high

natural and touristic interest. Such additional sites

included the historical Alpine Botanical Garden of

Viote, the neighbouring Terrace of the Stars, the Lake-

Dwelling Museum of Lake Ledro, The Gianni Caproni Air

Museum, the Geological Museum of the Dolomites in

Predazzo and the Limnological Station of Lake Tovel.

The growing activity in separate areas that made it

difficult for the research team to work together, along

with an increasingly minor role played by permanent

exhibitions in favour of original temporary ones

conceived and set up by the museum staff, resulted

in the inevitable crowding of installations, displays

and audience, especially in the event of contemporary

temporary exhibitions.

In the early 21st century it became evident that the

space was insufficient. Without the possibility of

expanding any further, it was time for decisions to be

taken - the right time to roll-out the MUSE Science

Museum project. The project began with a “Feasibility

study for a new science museum in Trentino”, carried

out by the museum in the period from 2002 to 2003 at

the request of the Cultural Activities department of the

Autonomous Province of Trento; this was followed in

2005 by the Cultural Plan.

These documents were drafted by more than 50

national and international qualified experts and by many

citizens, who all actively contributed to the definition

of the museum’s contents by expressing their wishes

and expectations in various focus groups and debates

regarding the project.

The cultural plan, approved by the Province in 2006,

was transformed into an architectural plan created by

the famous architect Renzo Piano, who designed the

building and was appointed as the art director for the

museum’s interiors. The coherence of the architectural

design with the museological contents, and of the

building layout with the arrangement of the internal

areas, is the result of the skilful direction by the team of

designers of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, who

has worked closely with the museum staff in a growing

creative dialogue towards the creation of this new

cultural hub in Trentino.

35.

A new brandfor a new museum

The need to design a brand for the new museum derives

from the awareness of the historical importance of the

change under way, which that could be summarised in

the question posed by the entire staff a couple of years

ago, as the new building construction works started

coming to an end: what kind of museum was being

created? Was it to be a museum totally different from

what it had been up until then, a museum that continued

the past tradition or the transformation of a pre-existing

museum into a new one?

Anyhow, the museum’s new visual identity had to express

in an unequivocal manner the answer to this question,

condensing the process of change into the metaphor of

rebirth, i.e. a new phase of life, yet solidly rooted in its

long history.

Philosophy

Created by the international design firm Pentagram -

who asked to learn all about the museum’s content and

spaces before creating a suitable logo that would be

original, clear and lively - the logo consists of the name

of the museum, MUSE. The close tie between shape

and content that inspired the museum’s architectural

structure has also been expressed in the visual identity

of the new logo.

In order to conceive and design the logo, Pentagram

made reference to the three concepts on which the

museum’s philosophy is based: universal, global, local.

In the logo, all of the graphic elements combine to create

a visual narrative that states the museum’s uniqueness in

terms of design, content, appearance and philosophy.

This new identity intends to celebrate the museum

as a whole: as a research centre operating in many

naturalistic sectors and at the same time as a

centre for the dissemination of scientific culture. In

metaphorical terms, the logo simultaneously represents

the museum’s roots in the local community (the

word rests on a horizontal plane, evidently recalling

its location in Trento’s valley bottom, from which it

emerges with an outline as jagged as the outline of the

mountains surrounding Trento) and its connections with

international research and science centres (the jutting

upwards of the letters indicates the importance of the

museum within the cultural context).

36.

A new brandfor a new museum

37.

Concept

The logotype was conceived to represent the landscape

of the Adige valley and of the mountains surrounding

it. The letters, that is the essence of the logo, portray

a distinctive identity, a unique visual image that states

the museum’s name in a memorable and captivating

way. Indeed, the text almost seems to create an

exhibition space capable of containing and displaying

images of objects of great symbolical value or highly

communicative textual elements. The logo also mimics

the architectural principle at the heart of the installations,

the “zero gravity” idea, where the two planes – the

horizontal and the vertical - intersect to form a shelf

ready to hold an object, a word, an illustration, without

prevailing over it as it stays slightly suspended in the air.

The visual inspiration for the logo derives from imagining

a descent from outer space to planet Earth, closing in on

Italy and, finally, the city of Trento.

Here, the building designed by the Renzo Piano Building

Workshop emerges as the centre that attracts attention

due to its shape and content: MUSE, characterised by its

signature profile featuring a diagonally jagged outline, is

emblematically evoked in the inclination followed by the

logo’s fold.

11

11

11

Notes

National Press Office Omnia RelationsT. +39 051 6939166 - 051 6939129

Communication office MUSET. +39 0461 270337

www.muse.it

Antonia Caola _ antonia.caola@mtsn.tn.itChiara Veronesi _ chiara.veronesi@mtsn.tn.itElisa Tessaro _ elisa.tessaro@mtsn.tn.it

Chiara Caliceti _ chiara.caliceti@omniarelations.comAlessandra Iozzia _ alessandra.iozzia@omniarelations.comBarbara Mazzocco _ barbara.mazzocco@omniarelations.com

Photo: Alessandro Gadotti, Archivio TrentoFutura;Massimo Zarucco, Archivio ufficio stampa PAT;Fabio Pupin, Archivio Museo delle Scienze;Aalto FabLab; Archivio Noaa Rendering: Renzo Piano Building Workshop

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