Star Digital, who planned it to accommodate 2–3 million visitors per year. It cost 3.75 billion ($180 million) with an investment of 1,755 billion. The museum building is an ascending spiral rising from one to five floors, intended to symbolize scientific and technological progress. The enormous glass sphere at its center denotes the rise of life out of water. Its grounds cover an area of , with a floor space of . of this is used for the exhibition space. The museum's HVAC was digitized and advanced enough for its time that it was once considered for a separate exhibit of its own. As part of Pudong's Huamu Civic Center, the museum building helps anchor the southern end of the district's principal thoroughfare Century Avenue, facing onto the Century Square, with its underground shopping area and subway station. Century Park lies nearby and, together, the complex has helped rebrand the district and encourage luxury housing developments in the surrounding area. Exhibitions The museum is dedicated to the popularization of science, with an intended theme of the harmony of "Nature, Mankind, and Technology". Like the overall building design, the original exhibits were designed by Creative Star Digital. It has 14 main permanent exhibitions and 4 science-themed cinemas. The exhibitions are: Spectrum of Life: A natural exhibit which imitates the scenery of Yunnan Province and displays its diversity of creatures. Earth Exploration Cradle of Design or Designers where visitors can use CAD/CAM to design and build small things Children's Rainbow Land Light of Wisdom Home on Earth Information Era World of Robots Light of Exploration is an exhibit which showcases human scientific achievements of the 20th century. Human and Health Space Navigation World of Animals Spiders Exhibition The Chinese Ancient Science and Technology Gallery showcases ancient Chinese inventions and works. The Explorers' Gallery features Chinese and foreign explorers. The Academicians' Gallery features contemporary scientists from China, particularly Shanghai. There was previously also an "Audio-Visual Discovery Paradise", s small-scale hydroelectric power station, a rain forest, an aviary, an aquarium, and an earthquake center including a motive platform with video allowing visitors to experience simulated tremors. The exhibitions are intended to "represent cutting-edge scientific development" using "innovative and unique exhibition methods" but many have not been updated since their installation. This behavior is common in China, where museums often subcontract all their exhibits' designs to private firms without any longterm arrangement to maintain or