Esplora, Malta’s Interactive Science Centre; is an informal educational and recreational facility suited to visitors of all age groups.
Esplora is located at Villa Bighi in Kalkara overlooking the Grand Harbour. The building was formerly used as a hospital by the Royal Navy. It consists of a number of buildings and outdoor spaces which are all interconnected following an extensive restoration and development process which is now complete.
The primary aim is for Visitors to experience science as being fun, exciting, and enjoyable. Visitors are able to engage with science through hands-on interaction amongst other activities. Science will be projected as being easy to understand and entertaining through a range of workshops, performances, science shows and debates.
Throughout the careful design of the spaces, visitors can see the relevance and the presence of science in their everyday lives. Esplora offers visitors an opportunity to discover and understand science at their own pace through a series of hands-on experiences and phenomena-related exhibits. In this way, the importance of the scientific processes is communicated through questioning, predicting, experimenting, analysing and making conclusions.
Features within Esplora include a Planetarium, an Outdoor Adventure Experience, an Activity Centre as well as interactive exhibition halls catering for every age and interest.
The exhibition entitled “Life at Bighi” is housed in the Cot Lift, the entrance to Esplora for visitors arriving by boat to the Esplora jetty. This exhibition features artefacts and memorabilia pertaining to the years when Villa Bighi was used as a hospital.
The novel hands-on exhibits and unique elements of the Centre, as well as the recreational areas including the EsploraCafé, make Esplora one Malta’s top attractions.
The project is being led by Xjenza Malta and is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.
The Core Ideology is the point of reference against which decisions are taken at ESPLORA. It encompasses our Vision, Mission and Values which guide all the roles and departments to work united as a team. We aspire to cultivate a culture of scientific curiosity and creativity by igniting a passion for questioning, investigation and discovery by encouraging our staff and visitors to Explore, Think, Imagine.
The aim of Esplora is to make visitors aware that science is all around them and that they already use scientific reasoning and skills within their daily activities, including making science-based choices continuously.
The vision of Esplora is to cultivate a culture of scientific curiosity and creativity.
Our Mission, to ignite a passion for questioning, investigation and discovery, defines the method by which Esplora realises its Core Ideology.
The 5 E’s learning model, whereby all visitors build their own understanding from experiences and new ideas, is embraced as part of the inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach being adopted in Esplora’s non-formal education context. Each of the 5 E’s describes a phase of learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate. The adoption of the IBL approach, allows visitors to engage in common activities, to use and build on prior knowledge and experience, to construct meaning, and to continually assess their understanding of a concept in a fun environment. The various activities are all intended to nurture enthusiasm for the most fundamental science processes. Visiting Esplora is a contender as a leisure activity option on the island for families, as the science activities offered are appealing and relevant to visitors.
Our mission is to ignite a passion for questioning, investigation and discovery.
The Core Values and Principles define how we will achieve our Vision, Mission and Core Ideology. They identify in more concrete detail, the direction and approach that will guide our decision-making, content development, visitor services, organisational culture and all other aspects of Esplora.
Our Core Values are:
Our Principles are:
Esplora aspires to cultivate a culture of scientific curiosity and creativity by igniting a passion for questioning, investigation and discovery by encouraging our staff and visitors to explore, think, imagine, appreciate and create.
Esplora is operated by Xjenza Malta under the direction of the Science Popularisation Unit, characterised by a dynamic multi-disciplinary team that is driven by shared principles and objectives. The resultant work environment lends itself to the continuous enhancement of the Unit’s endeavour to promote Science Communication and highlight its importance in today’s society.
‘Team Esplora’ encompasses all of the hard-working and dedicated individuals who contribute to the success of Malta’s first and only Interactive Science Centre, Esplora.
We will provide an open and supportive environment that allows our team and visitors to thrive, especially after repeated visits. Whilst valuing and respecting one another’s contributions, we will support one another’s aspirations and celebrate diversity. We will actively review feedback from our team and visitors to continuously uphold our core values.
