The island of Madeira will receive its first visitor centre, the Madeira Story Centre, in May.

Located in Funchal Old Town, the site is housed in a number of completely refurbished buildings – including an old cinema – and will feature exhibition spaces on the ground floor and rooftop with the main exhibition space occupying the first floor.

The ground floor exhibition will detail the volcanic beginnings of the Madeira archipelago while the rooftop will examine how fauna has developed on the island.

The main exhibition on the first floor will detail the history of the island and its development while the centre will also incorporate computer databases, interactive games, puzzles and interpretative text panels.

Exhibits at the E6.4m (£4.5m. $8.5m) centre will be in four languages – Portuguese, English, French and German.

The attraction has been designed by Funchal-based architects Gabinete Caires, but the project’s management company, Petersham Group, has drafted in a number of UK-based companies for the construction of the site.

The design scheme and fit out management was handled by Hayley Sharpe, while the multimedia and film facilities were provided by Atacama. Other UK-based companies working on the project include DJW (lihting), Eastwood and Cook (scenic reconstruction) and Beacon (lead fit out contractor).