Fábrica - Centro Ciência Viva de Aveiro

Fábrica — Centro Ciência Viva de Aveiro, in Aveiro, occupies the building of the former Companhia Aveirense de Moagens and transforms an industrial space into a place dedicated to scientific culture. Opened to the public in 2004, it results from a partnership between the University of Aveiro and Ciência Viva, bringing research, schools and the community closer together. The name “Fábrica” preserves the memory of the building, but also expresses its current function: producing curiosity, experiments and questions. The interactive exhibitions explore themes such as science in the kitchen, robotics and holography, with modules designed to be touched, tested and observed. Its activity also extends beyond the building, through educational programmes and collaborations with scientific institutions, companies, municipalities and teaching bodies. Between imagined machinery and science in action, the former mill has become a public workshop of knowledge.

Why it matters

Fábrica – Centro Ciência Viva de Aveiro is located in a former industrial area of Aveiro, occupying the building of the Companhia Aveirense de Moagens. The company, created in 1920, became known for milling maize and wheat, husking rice, producing pasta and sawing timber, initially using steam power and later electricity. Over several decades the industrial complex became a landmark in the city’s urban landscape, accompanying the region’s economic modernisation. With restructuring in the sector and the integration of the company into other industrial groups, the factory closed and the building was left vacant. In 1997 the property was acquired by the University of Aveiro, which undertook the rehabilitation of the complex as industrial heritage and gave it a new function linked to scientific culture. In partnership with Ciência Viva – the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture, the space was integrated into the national network of Ciência Viva Centres. The centre opened to the public in 2004 as a facility dedicated to the dissemination of science and technology, with a regular programme of exhibitions and educational activities. Today, Fábrica is a unit of the University of Aveiro itself, aligning its programme with the research carried out at the institution and with the natural and urban context of the Ria de Aveiro.

Architecture and history

The building retains the appearance of a large industrial volume, created by the juxtaposition of several bodies of different heights, with rendered facades in light tones and regular openings that reveal its original milling function. Particularly striking are the tallest tower, associated with the former silos, the chimney and the succession of pitched roofs that define the profile of the complex on the city’s skyline. The rehabilitation preserved the essential structure while introducing contemporary steel and glass elements, such as the main entrance under a metal canopy and the glazed volume marking the access, above which the word "FÁBRICA" stands out in large green letters. Inside, the former factory floors were reorganised into spacious, flexible areas with generous ceiling heights, suitable for installing interactive exhibitions, auditoria, laboratories and science workshops. Natural light is enhanced by skylights and glazed walls, combined with more enclosed rooms designed for experiments requiring controlled light and temperature. Circulation takes place along corridors and ramps that connect the different sections, preserving the perception of original structures such as pillars, beams and brick or concrete walls. The choice of exhibition design based on hands-on modules and experimentation stations reinforces the perception of the building as a "factory of knowledge" housed in rehabilitated industrial heritage.

More context

A visit may start at the core exhibition, spread across various sections that explore areas such as physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and information technologies through interactive experimental modules. Among the most distinctive spaces are the areas devoted to robotics, with activities such as "Há Micro-Ratos na Fábrica!" and the "Oficina de Robôs", where principles of programming and motion control are explored. The "Mãos na Massa" zone brings together dozens of free-exploration experiments, including large-scale structures such as the "Passadeira do Saber", which links body movement to scientific concepts. In "A Cozinha é um Laboratório" phenomena of chemistry and biochemistry are studied using everyday domestic situations, illustrating, for example, matter transformations or the role of micro-organisms in food. The centre also includes a holography laboratory, areas for mathematical games and spaces designed for younger visitors, with modules adapted to their scale. Throughout the year, the programme is complemented by themed workshops, science weeks, projects developed with schools and temporary exhibitions, often connected with research lines at the University of Aveiro or with topics related to the Ria de Aveiro and the surrounding region.