Kraftwerk Living Technologies was responsible for realising the technical vision of the project – planning, installation and programming of all technical components incl. various displays, complex projections, building-wide audio system, as well as exhibit lighting. Provision was made for simple, intuitive and mobile user interfaces as well as a highly flexible approach to automation and programming of the system. In due course, the audiovisual equipment for the various event and meeting rooms was included in the larger scope.
The system is based around a centralised concept with all head-end components housed in a single server room. This includes video servers, audio servers, interactive computers and audio DSP/amplification. The racks are all under control with power sequencing, environmental monitoring and IP control of all devices.
Our objectives were clear to provide an innovative and reliable technology system, that met the needs of the project and the client and also the creative team. We had to work closely with the various stakeholders and whilst pushing some limits in presentation techniques, ensure that the system would entertain and educate for years to come.
The strong technological basis and interactivity combined with the aesthetic demands of the overall experience significantly influenced the audiovisual system design. In order to successfully translate the creative concepts into technical solutions, many of the setups had to be tested, in constant co-operation with other trades.
The project pushed several technical boundaries. Several of the solutions had bespoke elements, or at least needed to be integrated into a bespoke exhibition element. The architecture also presented its own challenges, with the main journey taking place on a series of ascending ramps, meaning that everything had to be built according to a slope. The outer walls of the building have a torsional rotation, meaning that they are not parallel to any other surface and “twist” along their length.
These challenges required the entire project team of architects, engineers, designers and fit-out contractors to work collaboratively in 3D, allowing for the simulation of each and every interface before any final design or production could proceed.
As a company focused on the latest available technologies, the client OMV wanted to reflect their state-of-the-art workflow in the same innovative way. Forces were joined to create a state-of-the-art and first-of-its-kind project in Austria. OMV’s vision was to create an impressive space to bring the complex content closer to a broader audience in an interesting and interactive but also entertaining and educational way.
Also sustainability is an integral part of OMV’s corporate strategy. With this in mind, the team at Kraftwerk Living Technologies took several steps to reinforce these goals like using LED technology, choosing track systems that ensure no circuits are ever left on when not required and building rack systems with power management, allowing for selective control of devices from the master control and scheduling system.
The OMV Innovation & Technology Center is equipped with high end and complex media technology to create a unique visitor experience and offers various highlights. It extends over four floors, hosts an exhibition, but also board room, meeting rooms and big event rooms for business purposes. The building structure is penetrated by an architectural cylinder like a drill – the main show. Its rotating light staging connects the radially arranged thematic areas on a circumferential ramp – the whole exhibition “rotates” around this structure and is the guiding principle that characterises the architectural design. This can also be seen with the exterior walls of the new building, which are hyperbolically twisted by 15º.
The impressive venue with a total of 1,600 sq metre exhibition space and customised exhibits equipped with innovative media technology, the high-end presentation techniques, as well as the newly constructed building with its unique architecture make a highly innovative and exceptional overall attraction which truly deserves its name “Innovation & Technology Center”.
