An iconic, large-scale interactive library for the BASF SEOpens in a new tab Visitor Center in Ludwigshafen, translating more than a century of corporate and scientific history into a tactile, spatial digital experience.
Physical books become interactive touch-based portals, combining editorial depth, strong visual storytelling, and robust system architecture into a permanent flagship installation—extended through international deployments and a global roadshow.
Roles
- Technical Director
- Lead Unity Developer
- System Architecture & CMS Development
- UI Engineering & Animation Systems
- Data Integration & Content Tooling
- On-site Deployment & Installation Support
Stack
- Unity
- Custom CMS
- Database Architecture
- Data-Driven UI
- Touch-Optimized UX
Locations
Ludwigshafen, Germany · Istanbul, Turkey
Attribution
All image and video footage by courtesy of m box Bewegtbild GmbH and BASF SE.
Outline
The installation takes the familiar metaphor of an analogue library and reinterprets it as a contemporary digital archive in space. Visitors physically select oversized books from a library wall; once opened, each book reveals a dedicated interactive touchscreen experience.
At the center of the installation sits a large “open book” media piece composed of multiple synchronized Full HD displays, presenting BASF’s history as a rich, chronological, and visually driven timeline. Users can explore milestones, developments, imagery, and film content at varying levels of depth through an intuitive, museum-grade interface.
Designed as a flagship visitor center installation in Ludwigshafen, the system was also deployed at the BASF site in Istanbul and adapted into modular configurations for use as a traveling roadshow exhibit—demonstrating both permanence and scalability.
System Architecture & Technical Characteristics
- Real-time interactive system built in Unity
- Custom CMS and database architecture for structured historical content
- Data-driven UI rendering with editorial depth and multi-level navigation
- Multi-screen synchronization for large-format “open book” timeline display
- Touch-optimized UX designed for high visitor throughput
- Modular system design enabling permanent installation and roadshow configurations
- Focus on robustness, maintainability, and long-term operation in a public visitor environment
My Role & Key Contributions
I led the technical direction and end-to-end Unity development of the entire system. I was the sole programmer on the project and owned the full technical stack—from runtime application to backend tooling.
Key contributions:
- End-to-end development of the Unity-based interactive applications
- Architecture and implementation of a custom CMS and database system (built on top of an open-source CMS)
- Database schema design and deep integration into the Unity front-end
- UI implementation and bespoke animation systems
- Advanced text layout handling, including custom hyphenation logic for high-quality long-form content rendering
- Content integration and tooling for large historical datasets
- On-site installation, deployment, and calibration in Ludwigshafen and Istanbul
- Technical coordination with stakeholders across design, content, and hardware domains
Why This Project Matters
This project demonstrates the ability to translate large, historically complex datasets into a durable, spatially embedded interactive system—balancing editorial clarity, refined UX, and long-term operational stability. It is a strong example of building museum-grade, content-heavy interactive installations that scale across locations while maintaining a consistent, high-quality experience.
