The event marked an important milestone in the collaboration between Bristol City Leap and We The Curious, which aims to make Bristol’s low-carbon energy future more accessible, engaging and inspiring for visitors of all ages.

Guests were welcomed by Hannah Spungin, Director of Bristol City Leap, Jon Sankey, Head of Business Development at Vattenfall Heat UK, and Chris Dunford, Sustainability Director at We The Curious, who spoke about the importance of bringing sustainability education to life through hands-on experiences that connect people with the city’s decarbonisation journey.

Among those attending were Cllr Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, Cllr Abi Finch, Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, and representatives from organisations including Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership, SevernNet, Bristol Temple Quarter, Bristol BID, the NHS, Women in Property, Airbus, The Bristol Dockyard, Materials In Mind and Real Growth.

Following the introductions, attendees had the opportunity to experience the exhibit for themselves, and it’s safe to say it was a hit!

Bringing Bristol’s Energy Future to Life

The new exhibit has been designed to raise awareness of Bristol’s growing low-carbon energy infrastructure through a playful, inclusive and sensory experience.

Visitors can post coloured ‘scarves’ into the exhibit’s inlets, adjust airflow using valves, and watch as their scarves travel through a maze of tubes representing Bristol’s energy networks before emerging overhead. Along the way, they encounter recognisable Bristol landmarks, helping connect the experience directly to the city around them.

The exhibit celebrates the extensive network of pipes and cables that are helping deliver renewable electricity and low-carbon heat across Bristol, while demonstrating how innovative infrastructure can help create a more sustainable future.

By transforming a complex topic into a fun and social experience, the installation helps visitors better understand the role that low-carbon energy systems play in everyday life and the positive changes already taking place across the city.

A Hit with Visitors

Even before its official launch celebration, the exhibit had already become a favourite with visitors to We The Curious.

In fact, staff have had to place a bench facing the installation after parents, grandparents and guardians had asked for somewhere to sit while their children continued playing with the exhibit.

The anecdote perfectly captures the ambition behind the project: to create an experience that isn’t just educational, but genuinely enjoyable, encouraging curiosity, exploration and conversation about Bristol’s sustainable future.

Demonstrating the Power of Partnership

The exhibit is the result of a close collaboration between Bristol City Leap and We The Curious, combining expertise in sustainability, education and visitor engagement.

Bristol City Leap is helping to accelerate Bristol’s journey to net zero by delivering large-scale investment in low-carbon energy infrastructure through its partnership between Bristol City Council, Ameresco UK and Vattenfall Heat UK.

Meanwhile, We The Curious continues to inspire curiosity and learning through experiences that help people engage with science and the world around them.

Together, we have created an exhibit that not only highlights the innovative work taking place beneath Bristol’s streets, but also encourages visitors to imagine the role they can play in creating a greener future.

As the newest addition to We The Curious’ North Gallery, the exhibit is expected to engage hundreds of thousands of visitors over the coming years, helping build awareness, understanding and confidence in Bristol’s transition to a low-carbon city.

The launch event was a celebration not only of a new exhibit, but of what can be achieved when organisations come together with a shared commitment to sustainability, education and community engagement.

The post Bristol City Leap and We The Curious Celebrate Launch of New Interactive Sustainability Exhibit appeared first on Bristol City Leap.

The exhibit aims to inspire understanding and confidence in Bristol’s transition to a low-carbon future by engaging visitors through a fun, inclusive, sensory and social experience.

It is designed to celebrate innovation and show how an extensive network of pipes and cables beneath the city is efficiently delivering renewable electricity and heat throughout Bristol. Visitors of all ages will be able to post coloured ‘scarves’ into the inlets, change the air direction using the valves, and watch their scarf travel through a maze of tubes through the ‘city’, before it flies out over their heads.

The exhibit is Bristol-specific, with several recognisable Bristol landmarks depicted on the network of interconnected pipes and valves.

Through creating a playful, fun and communal experience, the exhibit aims to show the positive change already happening to make Bristol’s energy networks more sustainable.

Bristol City Leap is an innovative partnership between Bristol City Council, Ameresco UK and Vattenfall Heat UK, which will accelerate green energy investment in Bristol and help towards decarbonising the whole city.

This flagship exhibit marks the start of new development within the North Gallery space at We The Curious, which will see further sustainability-related exhibits and experiences added over the next few years. It also connects with We The Curious’ pledge around creating a more sustainable future and their own journey to decarbonise by 2030.

Andy Cocco, Head of Exhibitions at We The Curious, said: “This new exhibit is a great way to really explore sustainability, and specifically, decarbonisation in Bristol, in a fun and engaging way. It brings to life the amazing work that’s already taking place in the city, but also showcasing how people can work together and have power as a collective to create a better world. The scientific knowledge and solutions are there – it’s up to us to make them happen. We’re delighted to be working with Bristol City Leap on this fun, interactive exhibit, which showcases the new technology shaping our future for the better.”

Hannah Spungin, Director at Bristol City Leap, said: “We’re proud to support We The Curious in creating an engaging new exhibit that brings Bristol’s energy future to life. Through our role in the Bristol City Leap partnership, we are committed not only to delivering low-carbon infrastructure but also to helping people understand how these systems work and why they matter. This exhibit provides a unique opportunity to connect with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, spark curiosity, and empower communities to be part of Bristol’s decarbonisation journey. By making complex energy systems accessible and interactive, we can inspire greater awareness, confidence and participation in the transition to a more sustainable city.”

Dom Barton, Director of Heat Networks – Bristol at Vattenfall Heat UK, said: “Vattenfall’s vision is that over half of all Bristolians living, working and learning in the city will be kept warm by the Bristol heat network by 2050. The work to install the heat network is ongoing, and once complete will deliver low carbon heating across the city for decades to come. This crucial underground network of pipes is already delivering low carbon heating to 36 buildings, enough to heat the equivalent of almost 13,400 homes. We’re pleased to support We The Curious in raising awareness of the city’s decarbonisation journey with the workforce of the future in such a fun and engaging way.”

The exhibit is being designed and built by the in-house Exhibitions Team at We The Curious and will be launched in time for Bristol school summer holidays in July 2026.

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