It’s the beginning of a complex and exciting process when a museum or science centre has the opportunity to renew its permanent spaces. As with any museum, the desire is to create a meaningful experience for visitors, to show cutting edge science, to share timely concerns. But this process doesn’t start from scratch and its freedom is quite limited. Can the compulsion to re-use existing elements be a force in the reconstruction of a permanent exhibition? Does it make a difference if recycled elements end up in collections or hands-on exhibits? This session will launch a discussion based on recent and in-progress examples from museums as well as science centres.