NID is the modular research and innovation building of Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf, Switzerland — a living experiment in which building technologies, energy systems and materials of the future are tested under real-world conditions. 150 partners. 15 units. A building that is permanently evolving.
Avocado360 translated this place into an interactive NEST Virtual Tour — together with ATEO. Over 50 panoramas, embedded expert interviews, hotspots, floor plans and documents. Accessible to anyone — any time, anywhere, free of charge.
An interactive virtual tour through the NID research building of Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf, Switzerland — featuring over 50 panoramas, expert video interviews, hotspots and documents. Publicly accessible since July 2021.
Architecture and engineering students worldwide. International research teams. Industry partners presenting their work. Prospective NEST partners. Media. And anyone who wants to understand what sustainable construction actually looks like.
15 research units, 150 partners, two platforms — in German and English, accessible to specialists and non-specialists alike. A tour too simple goes unused. One too complex loses its audience.
A living, scalable platform that grows with NEST. Avocado360: concept, panoramas, interviews. ATEO: build and maintenance. Visual design: Eric Jones.
"The virtual tour offers direct insight into the numerous activities in and around NEST to a much wider audience."
— Peter Richner, Deputy CEO, Empa — responsible for NESTA building that is never finished. That rebuilds itself while people live and work inside it. That tests walls made from recycled material, ceilings cast by robots, façades that harvest energy. NEST in Dübendorf is not a conventional research object — it is a living experiment. And it needed a way to show that experiment to the world.
NEST stands for Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies. Inaugurated on 23 May 2016 on the Empa campus in Dübendorf, Switzerland, the building was designed by Gramazio & Kohler at ETH Zurich. Its structure: a central backbone — load-bearing frame, energy supply, data network — and three open platforms onto which individual research modules can be installed, operated and replaced according to a plug-and-play principle.
Each unit is an independent research project, with its own partners, materials, residents and users. The people who live and work there are simultaneously test subjects. More than 150 partners from research, industry and the public sector are involved — among them ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne, HSLU, Eawag, and dozens of companies from the construction sector.
The NEST building on the Empa campus in Dübendorf, Switzerland — backbone structure with interchangeable research modules (units).
The units at a glance — all accessible in the virtual tour:
The world's first inhabited building planned digitally and built largely by robots. ETH Zurich, NCCR Digital Fabrication.
Built entirely from reusable, recyclable and compostable materials. Werner Sobek Design.
Lightweight shell roof and adaptive solar façade. ETH Zurich — spin-off: Zurich Soft Robotics → Solskin.
Research laboratory for sustainable working environments. HSLU, Lista Office LO, Swisscom, Bene.
Wood innovation and modular construction. Empa, ETH Zurich.
Solar energy and daylight through the building envelope. Innovative pigment-free coatings.
Wellness run entirely on solar energy. Demonstration of renewable energy systems.
Test environment for drones and climbing robots. Empa Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics.
CO₂-negative construction. Buildings as carbon sinks. Partner: Omya.
The two overarching research platforms: energy (Empa) and water (Eawag).
From demolition to reuse, as quickly as possible.
Further units — continuously under construction and in planning.
Until 2021, guided tours of NEST had taken place only in person — a few dozen visitors each year. The rest of the world saw photographs, read articles, watched short films. But NEST is too layered for photographs. Too complex for a summary. Too multidimensional for a single film.
The problem: each unit tells a different story, works with different materials, addresses a different audience. Someone wanting to understand DFAB HOUSE needs different context from someone exploring the Solar Fitness & Wellness unit. A linear tour — whether live or filmed — cannot accommodate that depth.
"It is our vision to accompany new ideas on their way to innovations that succeed on the market. The virtual tour now offers direct insight into the numerous activities in and around NEST to a much wider audience."
— Peter Richner, Deputy CEO, Empa — responsible for NEST
The answer: a virtual tour that does not simplify — but deepens. One that allows every visitor to move at their own pace, on their own device, in their own language, discovering precisely what interests them. Equally useful to a doctoral student in Seoul and a sustainability director in Amsterdam.
Avocado360 led the conceptual design of the tour, the 360° panorama photography across all accessible areas, and the production of embedded video interviews with researchers and project leads. ATEO handled the technical build of the tour platform and is responsible for ongoing maintenance and expansion. The visual design — navigation system, interface, design language — was developed by Eric Jones.
Early design sketch by Eric Jones — mapping the spatial logic of the navigation wall before a single panorama was shot.
A particular design decision worth noting: the navigation mirrors the actual floor plan of NEST — the same spatial logic that guides visitors on site. Rather than imposing an external interface, Eric Jones built the navigation directly into the virtual environment used by 3D Vista, following the building's own geometry. No legend required. No learning curve. The building's structure becomes the navigation.
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The NEST navigation floor plan — printed on the concrete wall of the entrance foyer. Identical in the physical building and the virtual tour.
The tour grows with NEST. What launched in 2021 with six units now covers 15 units and both research platforms. New units are integrated as they open. It is not a finished product — it is a communication instrument that never expires.
The virtual tour of the NEST research building is not a general-audience tool. It is a precise communication instrument for six clearly defined groups, each with different needs and different use cases.
Architecture, civil engineering, materials science, energy systems. University groups worldwide use the tour as a digital field trip. ETH Zurich's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering deployed it as an introduction before a group visit on site.
Over 150 active partners across 9 countries. Research teams working on related topics — sustainability, digital fabrication, energy systems — can review findings and methods without travelling. The tour functions as a scientific showcase.
Companies that built or funded units use the tour to present their work to clients and investors. ERNE AG Holzbau walks clients through DFAB HOUSE. Lista Office LO through the Meet2Create laboratory. No trade fair stand — a living reference project, accessible at any time.
Companies considering realising a NEST unit can orient themselves virtually first. The tour replaces an initial visit — and substantially lowers the threshold for making contact.
Instead of press releases: spatial experience. Empa actively uses the tour as an orientation tool at group visits — before the physical tour begins, the virtual version establishes common ground.
Construction accounts for approximately 28% of CO₂ emissions in Switzerland — and a comparable share globally. The tour makes research-based answers to that challenge legible for decision-makers, NGOs and a general public that rarely sets foot inside a research facility.
Over 50 interactive panoramas, connected through an intuitive spatial navigation. Within each panorama: hotspots that open content without leaving the space.
Researchers explain their work directly inside the panorama — at the site of the experiment, not in a conference room.
Details the panorama cannot capture: material cross-sections, measurement data, construction details.
Floor plans and technical drawings anchored directly in the space — context without switching context.
Project descriptions, key figures, partner details — precise and to the point.
In-depth documentation and scientific materials for specialist audiences.
Direct connections to partner websites, success stories and scientific publications.
Four hotspot types in the tour: 360° panorama, plan hotspot, text hotspot, video hotspot — all shown within DFAB HOUSE.
The virtual tour is publicly accessible — no login, no application required. On desktop, smartphone and tablet. In German and English. Those who open the tour arrive in NEST's entrance foyer. On the concrete wall: the floor plan with all units. One click — and you are in the middle of the research.
Explore the tour at empa-virtual.ch — free, no login required, in German and English.
"The launch of the virtual NEST tour is a further step towards closing the gap between laboratory research and market entry. By making numerous innovations, developed and demonstrated at NEST, accessible to a much broader and more international audience, the virtual NEST is making a significant contribution to ensuring that sustainable innovations in the building and energy sector can spread faster and thus gain a foothold in the construction industry."
Peter Richner
Deputy CEO, Empa — responsible for NEST. Press release, 10 June 2021
Research that cannot be seen does not exist. Not for the people who need it.
NEST produces new knowledge every year — new materials, new systems, new answers to the question of how we build sustainably. The tour makes that knowledge accessible: to students who learn from it, companies who apply it, investors who fund it, decision-makers who need it.
A building that is never finished — and a tour that is never finished. That is not a limitation. That is the principle.
What is a virtual tour of a research building?
An interactive 360° experience that allows visitors to explore a research facility digitally — with panoramas, embedded expert interviews, hotspots and documents. The NEST par Empa virtual tour in Dübendorf, Switzerland features over 50 panoramas and is freely accessible at empa-virtual.ch.
Who benefits from a virtual tour of a research or innovation facility?
Architecture and engineering students, international research teams, industry partners who built or funded units, prospective partners, journalists and communicators, and the wider public. The NEST tour is actively used by ETH Zurich departments, international university groups, and NEST industry partners to present their work to clients and investors worldwide.
How much does a virtual tour production cost?
Cost depends on scope, number of panoramas, level of interactivity and ongoing maintenance requirements. Avocado360 provides detailed, no-obligation quotes on request — specific to the project, with real figures. Get in touch →
Can a virtual tour be produced in multiple languages?
Yes. The NEST by Empa virtual tour is available in German and English. Additional languages are technically possible — a significant advantage for internationally oriented institutions with audiences across multiple markets.
Who handles ongoing maintenance and expansion?
At NEST by Empa, ATEO is responsible for technical maintenance and expansion of the tour platform. Avocado360 can be engaged for new panorama shoots and interview productions. The model is flexible — designed for long-term collaboration rather than a single delivery.
Planning something similar?
We will show you what a virtual tour could look like for your institution.
