Concrete rediscovered: Vienna Technical Museum opens spectacular exhibition!

Concrete rediscovered: Vienna Technical Museum opens spectacular exhibition!

On April 9, 2025, the permanent exhibition “Material Worlds” will be ceremoniously opened in the Vienna Technical Museum. The exhibition particularly focuses on concrete as a central building material and takes visitors through 13 stations that present the diverse applications and potential of materials. Opening to the public on April 10, 2025, this exciting show is part of the museum's most comprehensive redesign in 25 years. Over 400 exhibits will enable the diversity of materials to be experienced both visually and interactively.

A special feature of the exhibition is the hands-on station where visitors can try out various concrete recipes themselves. The detailed model of a cement plant, created from concrete by Angelika Höckner and Gerald Moser, is just as much a highlight as the concrete freeform by the artists Mischa Guttmann and Roman Spiess. These works illustrate the creative side of the material and its importance for architecture and art.

Variety of materials and their meaning

How Technical Museum reports, the exhibition not only deals with concrete, but also other materials such as wood, cement, plastic, silicon and rare earths. These materials are omnipresent and shape our daily lives in cities, devices, communication and mobility. Current material consumption is historically high, reflecting the need to be informed about the origins and ecological consequences of materials.

The exhibition combines traditional knowledge with the latest research results and innovative processes, with sustainability at its core. Visitors gain insights into various manufacturing techniques such as forging, welding, milling, casting and pressing, among other things. Using the example of the bicycle, the importance and effects of these processes on function and design are impressively demonstrated.

Sustainability in construction

In the context of the exhibition, the discussion about sustainable building plays a crucial role. A current analysis shows that the ecological and mechanical properties of building materials vary greatly. While wood materials have the greatest potential in terms of renewable primary energy, mineral building materials, including concrete, cause the highest non-renewable primary energy requirements. These findings come from a detailed paper that provides an overview of the environmental impact of building materials and highlights the importance of choosing environmentally friendly materials. Concrete has how TU Vienna determines the highest levels of global warming potential.

Peter Aufreiter, General Director of the Technical Museum, emphasizes the importance of imparting knowledge about the materials that shape our world. The “Material Worlds” exhibition will not only be a redesign of one of the most important museums in Vienna, but also a platform to promote awareness of the use of concrete and other materials in sustainable construction.