A striking glass-sided science centre forms a key element of the Heuston Gate development. Named Exploration Station, the huge centre will occupy one of the two landmark buildings to be built in the overall development.
Exploration Station will become the Republic's first interactive learning centre and would do more for the promotion and teaching of science than anything else previously undertaken, according to the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, who announced details of the new centre yesterday in Dublin.
The project is a joint undertaking by the State, the OPW and the Irish Children's Museum Ltd, a not-for-profit company set up to develop the centre, she said.
The State will provide the land and a substantial 50,000 sq ft building in the heart of the development along a new pedestrianised street.
The museum company, which has links to the Boston Children's Museum, will be responsible for fitting out and running the new centre.
It could cost up to €10 million to finish the interior and buy the highly interactive exhibits, said the chairman of the museum company, Mr Michael Collins SC.
There would be 20,000 sq ft for permanent displays and 3,500 sq ft available for travelling displays, he said.
Visitors will be encouraged to handle and interact with the displays, which are geared in particularly to children and young adults and would "exploit children's natural curiosity", according to the Tánaiste, who has responsibility for science as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Yet the centre would be of appeal to "old fogies" as well, she added.
The education and outreach centre for teachers and pupils would be designed to complement the national science curriculum, she added. "It is not going to be exclusively science," but would put science in context.
No decision had yet been taken on whether the State would contribute to operational costs, she said.
Backing the centre also effectively puts "on ice" a number of rival bids for State funding.
One such group, which for the past 16 years has sought State funding for a science centre in Stack A of the Irish Financial Services Centre, yesterday warmly welcomed the announcement.
"I wish them the very best," said its promoter, Ms Rose Kevany.
"We have been at this since 1987. We haven't stopped and are still hoping," she added.