How do you make complex research visible, understandable, and tangible? That is the question at the heart of the newly created VISTA Science Experience Center at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) — and exactly where our installation comes in.
Working closely with ISTA's Communications Team, BILDWERK developed the installation “ISTA At A Glance”: an innovative synthesis of form, content, and interaction. Seven digital pillars make current research and the ISTA cosmos intuitively tangible — for young and old visitors alike, for people who already carry science in their hearts, and for those just beginning their journey of discovery.
01
Concept and Design
The installation uses movement as a storytelling device. Seven display pillars are arranged along an imagined line, connecting the entrance area with the heart of the building.
Working with architecture studio Zirup, the team created an installation that integrates digital content into the space and marks the intersection of architecture and interaction.
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02
About ISTA and VISTA
The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is an international research institution focused on basic research in the natural and formal sciences.
With the newly opened VISTA Science Experience Center, ISTA creates a public space for the exchange of knowledge — a forum that gives visitors insight into current research and strengthens the interface between science and society.
03
Tactile Interaction
At the core is an analogue, tactile form of control. Each pillar is equipped with a haptic rotary dial that visitors use to navigate through the content.
Three stations can additionally be physically rotated, adding a second layer of movement — the screen itself becomes a “window” into virtual spaces. The navigation follows a clear, human-centred logic: by turning and panning, visitors explore the content from shifting perspectives and experience science as a spatial journey.
04
Themes and Content
The seven stations are clearly distinct in content and together form a holistic view of the research institute's goals and background.
Big Questions shows large-format visualisations of central scientific questions, from quantum physics to evolutionary biology — turning the pillar and moving the dial opens thematic layers that condense complex relationships visually and narratively. Our Community, titled “This is ISTA”, shows life-size portraits and profiles of scientists, students, and staff. Peek Inside the Labs opens 360° videos of the ISTA laboratories, enriched with info points and short explanations.
Campus Evolution uses an interactive 3D model to present a complete 3D map of the campus and its surroundings — including a historical version of the site. Visitors navigate along a timeline using a rotary dial and experience how architecture, science, and community have grown together on the roughly 179,000 m² listed campus in Klosterneuburg.
Graduate School guides visitors through the stages of ISTA's PhD programme in the role of a doctoral candidate — from choosing a research question through lab rotations to the qualifying exam. XISTA shows ISTA's innovation and technology transfer ecosystem through examples of ongoing projects. VISTA, the final pillar, is dedicated to the Science Experience Center itself — its mission to foster dialogue between research and society.
05
Connection to the Exhibition
The foyer serves as the entry point to the Science Experience Center. From here, the path leads down to the exhibition on the lower level, which explores scientific concepts through interactive, partly immersive scenography.
While the foyer installation offers orientation and overview, the exhibition opens up space for discovery and reflection — here, research is not explained, but experienced.
06
Technology and Implementation
The installation uses LG digital signage displays with integrated media PCs and HAPTICORE rotary controllers. It is built for continuous operation and can be maintained and extended via an internal CMS.
The entire interaction concept — from the content structure to UI/UX design and programming — was developed and implemented by BILDWERK.
