The province of Ontario unveiled the final design and awarded the contract for the new Ontario Science Centre to be built at Ontario Place on Thursday, calling it “a major milestone in the province’s plan to transform Ontario Place into a year-round, world-class, family-friendly destination.”The new facility will span 400,000 square feet and have “more space dedicated to programming than at the previous site,” according to the Province.The province says the mainland building will be designed for exhibitions and immersive visitor experiences, and dynamic programming, including hands-on exhibits and educational workshops. The design also includes “renovated and enhanced pods,” which will be used to create science-themed experiences.A rendering of the design for the new Ontario Science Centre slated to be built at Ontario Place. HANDOUT/Government of Ontario.Ontario Place’s iconic Cinesphere will be included in the design and be upgraded and revitalized to offer double the seating capacity than it accommodated previously.The $1.04 billion contract to design and build the facility was awarded to Ontario Science Partners, a collaboration that includes Hariri Pantarini Architects, known for its work on the Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford, Ont. They will also finance and maintain the facility.Renderings of the design show a futuristic building with several large windows, a green roof and multiple levels of open spaces. A raised walkway connects the main building to the pods, and a boardwalk with a walking path runs the length of the front of the structure.The province says the new centre will meet all accessibility requirements and aim for the Rick Hansen Foundation accessibility certification, which assesses the level of meaningful access to buildings.“Today’s milestone reflects a shared commitment to build a dynamic, state-of-the-art Science Centre that will inspire discovery for generations to come,” said John Carmichael, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Ontario Science Centre.“Through innovative exhibits and dynamic programming, this remarkable new home at Ontario Place will provide meaningful learning experiences to visitors of all ages.”Ontario Science Centre closure and controversyThe Ontario Science Centre opened in 1969 in the Flemingdon Park area of North York. In 2023, Premier Doug Ford publicly announced the relocation of the centre to Ontario Place and a year later, the Ontario government announced that the science centre would abruptly and permanently close, after engineers reportedly found structural issues with the roof.Critics blasted the decision, pointing out that the engineers’ report presented several other options other than full closure and speculated that the plan to move the science centre to Ontario Place was conceived to distract from the controversial Therme waterpark and spa that is also being built on the grounds.The roof also managed to survive through the winter of 2024, sparking more suspicion about the reason for the closure. Other points of concern include a delay in the opening date from 2028 to 2029 and a report from the auditor general in late 2024, which found that the cost estimate for building and maintaining the new science centre increased by nearly $400 million from the government’s spring 2023 business case for relocating it.In December 2025, the Harbourfront Centre was chosen as the interim home for the Ontario Science Centre until the new permanent facility is completed at Ontario Place.Completion of the new Ontario Science Centre is slated for 2029, and the Province says it will create more than 1,000 jobs in construction and tourism, as well as long-term jobs at the facility.With files from the Canadian Press