The regeneration of the Eastside area of Birmingham was spearheaded by the construction and development of the multi-use Millennium Point Birmingham complex. It was a Millennium Commission project which provided a £50 million lottery grant. The building cost is estimated at £114 million. Other funding was provided by Advantage West Midlands, the European Development Fund, sponsorship and a commercial Bank Loan.
The completed building was officially opened on 2 July 2002 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, although it had been first used during 2001.
The building and its 750 car parks & car-parking facilities cover a site of some 12 acres and lies between Curzon Street and Jennens Road and will be close to the new railway station associated with the proposed Birmingham to London High Speed Rail Link.
The city shops are just a ten minute walk away and Millennium Point access is well supported by the M6 motorway and all other forms of transport.
The Millennium Point centre, sometimes misspelt as millennium, is home to Think Tank, the IMAX Cinema and also a high-tech and state of the art Planetarium.
It also contains a conference suite and facilities for businesses. Birmingham City University, formerly the University of Central England, houses its Faculty of Engineering, Technology and the Environment and also the Birmingham School of Acting on the site.
The building is cuboidal in shape, with five floors providing 7,000 square metres of floor space, with the addition of a cylindrical development which houses the IMAX cinema. There are also offices, shops, bars and restaurants.
The Think Tank, which has replaced the old Science Museum in Newhall Street, is a hands-on science museum and provides attractions for both young and old in a fun and engaging way. Covering information on how the various organs of the human body operates, from intestines to the heart, to how appliances such as microwaves and the like operate and work. Children can also participate in a variety of differing activities with some 200 hands-on displays associated with technology and science.
There are also various exhibits covering Birmingham's history and also fine examples of working steam engines. Hanging from a ceiling is a full size example of the famous Battle of Britain, Spitfire fighter plane, many of which were produced in Birmingham's own Castle Bromwich area. Plus various items of machinery from the city's historic past and also the period of the great industrial revolution of the late 1700's, much influenced by Birmingham's Mathew Boulton, a leading industrialist of that period.
The Planetarium was the UK's first digital planetarium when it opened in December, 2005. It is of domed shape, is some 10 metres in diameter and provides seating for an audience of seventy people. Digistar 3, is the main system in operation with six DLP projectors working together to provide a stunning hemispherical image of 3200 x 3200 pixels.
Besides projecting stars, the planetarium can provide 360 degree video and sound. One can see planets, dive beneath the sea and ocean and also pass along the inside of the human body.
There are a number of differing 360 degree shows available at the Planetarium. Simply sit back, relax and enjoy what is on offer.
The planetarium, like the museum, can be quite addictive with families returning to see even more.
The IMAX 3D cinema, 3D viewing glasses are provided, is something else not to be missed. It has the largest screen in the Midlands, said to measure some four buses in width and a five story building in height. It is also surrounded by 42 digital speakers. Most of the films run for approximately 45 minutes although full length movie feature films are also shown. The experience alone will be something to talk about and you will perhaps find yourself somewhat disappointed on your next visit to your local cinema.
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