Biofabrique Vienna Challenges 2026

Urban Food & Design, a joint initiative of the Vienna Business Agency and VIENNA DESIGN WEEK, has been dedicated since 2024 to Biofabrique Vienna, a project of the Vienna Business Agency that explores bio-based materials and circular production methods. The current development cycle focuses on Wiener Farben (Viennese colors): a new, site-specific color palette derived from previously unused organic waste materials from Vienna. Building on the initial samples and results presented at the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK 2025, the 2026 edition will place greater emphasis on practical applications in the textile sector and beyond.
 
At Biofabrique Vienna near Nordwestbahnhof, the Vienna Business Agency invites visitors to discover and experience bioregional design. The multi-part exhibition demonstrates how a collaborative research network of creatives, industry, and the city can transform regionally available waste into new materials, products, and value chains. The focus is on current projects by Biofabrique Vienna as well as the projects by the two winners of this year’s “Applied Colours” and “Colours at Work” challenges. The installation by designer Anna Perugini, who explores the application of colors beyond the textile sector, and the work jackets made from recycled T-shirts designed by fashion designer Stefan Decker for the teams at Biofabrique Vienna and VIENNA DESIGN WEEK serve as prime examples of how design, research, and production can work together to develop sustainable solutions for material, textile, and production challenges. In addition to providing insights into the projects, the exhibition offers the opportunity to experience (raw) materials through multiple senses and to discover the potential of a new, regionally rooted material culture: Biofabrique Vienna as a place for everyone who understands design not only as a result but also as a tool for transformation.
 
The exhibition will be complemented by an in-depth Network Day on 25.9. and an expert-led tour on 1.10.