Technological wonder and environmental role model: the Technische Museum Wien

The Vienna Technical Museum sees itself as a future-orientated and socially effective institution that is guided by the idea of sustainability. It is enthusiastic about technology and science and fascinated by their impact on people and society. The museum shares this enthusiasm with its audience and reflects together with them on the socio-political consequences of technological progress.

It becomes clear that the ecological, economic and social effects are not always positive. The museum wants to encourage its visitors to work on models for the future and offers a platform for reflection and discourse that is orientated towards the 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations.

Certified with the Austrian Ecolabel

As part of this responsibility, the Vienna Technical Museum has already implemented many sustainable measures and was the first federal museum to be awarded the Austrian Ecolabel in December 2020. The museum continues to work on living sustainability in all areas of museum operations and communicates the measures it has taken transparently on its website.

The endeavours towards sustainability include, for example, the areas of

  • Energy (LED lighting, thermal insulation or photovoltaics)
  • Water (state-of-the-art sanitary facilities)
  • Cleaning/hygiene (environmentally friendly cleaning products)
  • Recycling (reuse of furniture, display cases and packaging materials)
  • Mobility (annual tickets for Wiener Linien public transport for employees)

Great efforts are also being made in museum-specific areas. For example, the museum shop offers a wide range of sustainable products, which are also specially labelled. Wherever possible, regional materials from recycled sources are used in exhibition construction, which are recycled after use.

The European cooperation #Alliance4Science between the Technisches Museum Wien, DASA Dortmund and the Parque de las Ciencias in Granada is an important contribution to sustainability in museum practice. The participating museums each organise an exhibition on the topics of innovation or sustainability and exchange them with each other. This practice promotes international exchange and conserves resources.

A centre of learning

As an important extracurricular place of learning, the Vienna Technical Museum reflects sustainability in a wide variety of guided tours and educational programmes. Two exhibitions also provide comprehensive background knowledge on the topic:

Klima. Wissen. Handeln! (engl.: Climate. Knowledge. Act!)

The climate crisis and its effects on the environment are omnipresent today, impossible to ignore and undeniable: it is man-made. In the new permanent exhibition "Klima. Wissen. Handeln!", the Vienna Technical Museum provides visitors aged 12 and over with a comprehensive and clearly structured insight into the complexity of the problem of climate change on more than 600 square metres: visually presented information, historical and current objects, supplemented by media installations and interactive stations, combine to create a multi-faceted picture of the various aspects of the climate crisis - from causes and consequences to conceivable and urgently needed options for action.

One highlight of the permanent exhibition is the "Future Simulator", an immersive experience room with a motion-sensitive floor, in which visitors can simulate a possible future individually or as a group through their voting behaviour. There is a choice of proposed solutions that correspond to the 1.5-degree target or other scenarios. In this way, participants experience how today's decisions influence the future and are encouraged to think and act sustainably.

Energiewende. Wettlauf mit der Zeit (engl.: Energy transition. Race against time)

Energy is a central component of our modern society. Without electricity, heat or mobility, our everyday lives would be unimaginable. However, due to the energy crisis and the advancing global warming, a rapid rethink is more urgent than ever before. How can we succeed in the energy transition and how can we satisfy the hunger for energy of a rapidly growing world population in a more sustainable way? The exhibition "Energiewende. Wettlauf mit der Zeit" illustrates the complex dynamics of the energy transition and climate crisis and provides an overview of possible strategies and innovative technologies that will enable a sustainable exit from fossil fuels. In cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, the exhibition provides insights into the diverse and interlinked challenges - as well as the diverse and innovative solutions. Visitors can experience for themselves what a successful energy transition and a climate-neutral future could look like and receive well-founded orientation knowledge to actively participate in the climate discourse themselves.

The exhibition can be seen until 30 December 2024.