Ulverstone Planetarium Improvements

⁠⁠⁠** Tenderer can now nominate schedule of works**

Hive is a three-story cultural precinct that includes the Ulverstone Visitor Centre, the Ulverstone Planetarium, the Ulverstone Museum and Art Gallery, and the Tasmanian Science Centre.

The Ulverstone Planetarium occupies part of level 2 (the uppermost level of the building). It is a domed theatre that is primarily used to present audiovisual shows about astronomy, partly recorded and partly live.

The existing Planetarium structure has 6 defects, as summarised below:

1. The path for the audience to enter the Planetarium runs through the centre of the Planetarium, rather than around the side which is more normal for a tilted-dome Planetarium. This takes away valuable seating space and necessitates a pair of walls dividing the two halves of the seating area; these walls result in blockage of the view of parts of the dome, especially for people seated next to one of the walls.

2. There is no handrail for visitors to use as they climb the steps to reach the upper seating levels.

3. The vertical distance between the audience and the projectors is too small, resulting in shadows of tall people (and the hands of children who create 'shadow puppets') visible on the dome.

4. There is no safe access for staff to the cove area (the area outside the perimeter of the dome, where there are storage spaces, power outlets, speakers, and the dome fan, which maintains the shape of the projection surface). Currently, the only way to access the cove is to bend down and walk or crawl underneath the base of the dome, risking injury. Appropriate WHS standards are not met.

5. The astronomer's console (from where the shows are run) is too small and does not have direct access to the main Planetarium door; the astronomer currently needs to walk in front of the audience to access the door.

6. The noisy ducting for the cafe on the ground floor of Hive passes through the Planetarium and interrupts the show when in use.

This tender has been called with the aim of rectifying these defects in the existing Planetarium. The scope of this project involves the proposal for a suitable rectification design method, the development of technical specifications and the undertaking of the construction of the approved rectification method.