The planned Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR's) visitors centre will serve to showcase both the organisation's past and its current activities as well as to popularise science, engineering and technology to young people and the public in general. "The CSIR is an organisation that does very well but is little known to the general public," CSIR group executive: strategic alliances and communication Dr Rachel Chikwamba pointed out to Engineering News Online. "So the purpose of the visitors centre is to make our work accessible to the public."

The centre will contain historical relics from the CSIR's past as well as displays highlighting its current activities. There will also be displays and demonstrations to explain what science is all about. There will also be temporary exhibitions by different groups and disciplines of scientists, to explain their fields. In addition, there is a plan for programmes of guest lectures at the centre, by scientists both from within the CSIR and without.

"We are likely to construct a new building for the visitors centre," she stated. "It's one of our near-term projects, to be completed within the next three to five years."

The basic budget for the new visitors centre is included in the CSIR's property, plant and equipment investment budget, but additional funding will be required to complete the project. The final budget for the centre has not yet been determined. "A significant dedicated budget is being sought."

The visitors centre forms part of the CSIR Campus of the Future programme, for which a master plan has been developed. "The purpose of the master plan is to revitalise our infrastructure and restore some of the grand architecture which is part of our heritage," she explained. "Much of the current campus is old – it was established in 1945."

The intent is to convert the campus into a twenty-first-century facility, "fit for purpose", and attractive to especially young researchers. This generation is both mobile and "connected". "We need an environment that stimulates their creativity," she affirmed.

"A major driver for the Future Campus is energy efficiency – to create a 'green' campus," highlighted Chikwamba. "We intend to generate our own electricity to sustain operations at our main campus and do likewise at our other CSIR campuses."