VISTA Science Experience Center

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria commissioned a central media installation for its new visitor center—a circular, fully glazed pavilion embedded in the campus landscape. The design task was to communicate the institute’s research culture through spatial interaction while respecting the architectural clarity of the space.

The installation consists of seven freestanding media steles arranged along the building’s radial geometry. Three of these are kinetic elements, rotating around their vertical axes to echo the natural flow of visitor movement through the space.

Each kinetic station features a fully three-dimensional interface: familiar 2D paradigms—galleries, timelines, navigation panels—are translated into sculptural, spatial interaction surfaces. This approach transforms content exploration into a physical, almost tactile experience.

The sequence of stations mirrors the scientific process itself—from abstract questions to applied innovation—guiding visitors deeper into the institute’s world while architecture, motion, and media form a unified, site-specific system.

2025 • Maria Gugging • ISTA Campus
Concept, Design and Development

Client: Institute of Science and Technology Austria
Concept, Design and Production BILDWERK
Architecture: Zirup
Furniture: Artex

Media coverage:
ORF
Meinbezirk.at