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2 August 2026

Vienna Design Week 2026: School Tours Open the Door to the World of Design

Vienna Design Week 2026 Festival Headquarters at Hietzinger Kai 101 in Vienna.
Quick Read

• The 20th Vienna Design Week (25 September–4 October 2026) marks the festival's anniversary with a new Festival Headquarters in a landmark office tower at Hietzinger Kai 101.
• Guided school tours, supported by Austria's OeAD, introduce students to design through discussions and real projects.
• Several tour dates are still available, while classes unable to secure a place will receive educational material for independent visits.
• Early programme announcements already offer a preview of this year's designers, institutions and sustainability-focused projects.

Design is often associated with aesthetics, but the objects surrounding us every day tell a much broader story. From the chair at the dining table and the cup in the kitchen to clothing, lighting or public spaces, every product reflects decisions about materials, function and sustainability. This autumn, Vienna Design Week invites school classes to look behind these decisions through guided educational tours designed to make design more accessible for young people.

Anniversary edition moves to a remarkable new headquarters

The 20th Vienna Design Week will take place from 25 September to 4 October 2026, celebrating two decades as one of Europe's leading curated design festivals. For its anniversary edition, the Festival Headquarters moves into the former Allianz office tower at Hietzinger Kai 101, a striking building designed by Austrian architect Harry Glück near the Unter-St.-Veit underground station.

The temporary reuse of the 1970s office complex as an exhibition venue allows visitors to experience architecture, urban development and design together. Former office floors, a cafeteria, a kindergarten, a bowling alley and other spaces become exhibition areas during the ten-day festival, illustrating how existing buildings can be creatively adapted for new cultural purposes.

Learning about design beyond appearances

The guided school tours are aimed at students aged 12 and above and are led by cultural educator Hanna Schibel. During the tours, participants discuss questions such as: What makes good design? Who shapes it? How does it influence everyday life? Rather than focusing solely on visual appearance, the tours introduce different design disciplines. Students are encouraged to observe, discuss and question how everyday objects are conceived and developed.

The programme is supported by the OeAD – Agency for Education and Internationalisation, Austria's national agency for education and international cooperation, through its Kultur:Bildung initiative financed by the Federal Ministry of Education. Schools contribute only part of the participation costs, making the tours more accessible.

According to the current ticket information, several tour dates are still available, although some sessions have already sold out.

Biofabrique Vienna connects sustainability and design

One example students may encounter is Biofabrique Vienna, a project by the Vienna Business Agency that explores bio-based materials and circular production methods. This year's Biofabrique Vienna Challenges focused on developing practical applications for the project's naturally produced "Vienna Colours", pigments created from unavoidable food waste and invasive plants collected in Vienna.

Two winning concepts were selected. Anna Perugini, an interdisciplinary designer educated in Italy, London's Central Saint Martins and the Design Academy Eindhoven, investigates material research, ecology and industrial production. Stefan Decker, currently studying Fashion & Technology at the University of Art and Design Linz, concentrates on reuse strategies for more sustainable fashion systems. Their work demonstrates how design increasingly combines creativity with environmental research.

The festival also provides a first look at further participants, including the University of Applied Arts Vienna (Die Angewandte), one of Austria's internationally recognised art universities. Its participation offers students insight into higher education pathways that combine artistic practice, design, architecture and research—an aspect that may be particularly valuable for young people considering future studies after secondary school or vocational training.

Independent visits remain possible

Schools that cannot secure one of the guided tours will still have an opportunity to benefit from the festival. Vienna Design Week plans to publish educational material in September that supports teachers in preparing lessons and organising self-guided visits to the Festival Headquarters. This allows classes to explore the exhibitions independently while using structured learning impulses tailored to the festival programme.


Image: The Festival Headquarters of the 20th Vienna Design Week 2026 at Hietzinger Kai 101 in Vienna, featuring the anniversary festival branding on the landmark office tower designed by Harry Glück. © Christoph Wimmer–Studio Sirene / Vienna Design Week.