The Museum of the Future

Wall paint that kills bacteria, carpets that attract pollutants, edible seat covers for chairs and a heating system powered by algae oil: these are just some of the innovative ideas that scientists, students, politicians and all other interested parties can exchange in the Museum of the Future in Lüneburg.

The open house is a meeting place for exploring and jointly developing new technologies for a sustainable future in a ‘non-elitist’ environment.

The idea for this project came from the chemist and process engineer Prof Dr Michael Braungart. He and his colleagues bought a listed building in the city centre of Lüneburg and had it converted into a unique seminar centre in line with the ‘cradle-to-cradle’ design concept co-founded by Braungart.

Sponsored by the Hamburg Environmental Institute, the museum demonstrates across a space of 376 square metres that all things can be reused - just like in the cycle of nature, where there is no waste.

Inside the imposing brick building, which also houses a beautiful courtyard used as a garden, visitors can talk and interact in bright, open spaces. The eye-catcher is, among other things, a free-standing stove in the middle of the main room, which is heated with wood. Large-scale, colourful carpet patterns create accents.

Plenty of natural light flows through the impressive arch-like windows into the museum. The ceiling lighting, too, is a sight to behold: the lights are encircled by so-called ‘baffles’ by Troldtekt.

The light brown acoustic panels in different sizes, individually suspended from the ceiling, are both skilful design elements and guarantee optimal acoustics in the building. Because they are made of 100% sustainable materials, such as wood and cement, they also fit perfectly into the museum’s concept.