At a press conference held on September 9, 2010 within the framework of the 6th Baikal International Economic Forum, Head of METROPOL Group M.V. Slipenchuk announced an initiative to implement a Noosphere Museum project in Irkutsk. The museum-cum-planetarium will be housed in district 130, scheduled for redevelopment during the year of the 350th anniversary of Irkutsk. A corresponding decision was taken at a closed-door meeting of Head of METROPOL Group M.V. Slipenchuk and Governor of the Irkutsk Region D.F. Mezentsev.

The project provides for construction of the Baikal Museum, a vaulted hall for lectures on astronomy to be accompanied by star shows, and an astronomical tower equipped with telescopes. The museum concept is designed to embody mankind’s key knowledge of the noosphere in one project. As conceived by M.V. Slipenchuk, Candidate of Science (Geography), the museum should apply the most advanced technologies and present to its visitors the most significant and interesting information on water, land, and the outer space displayed on three floors with a total area of 800 square meters.