Development had already reached the area surrounding the Rüschwerke in Dornbirn, when operations were suspended at the heavy industry plant. Reducing the structure to essential building units and adapting it to a culturally used space housing the regional natural history museum Inatura lent the premises, encompassed by an urban park, an appealing and ambiguous aura. The interior design utilizes the large spaces, while being individually organized on multiple levels.

The architecture of early historical industrial buildings follows a rigid and at the same time well-proportioned and appealing classicist style. The complex is complemented by a connecting structure stilted on a concrete panel and clad in pre-rusted steel plates. The second annex at the front side of the building has been crafted from the same material. It features a biomass heating unit that supplies the museum building and surrounding municipal buildings with heat energy. The two other new building sections extend across the rear courtyard and sport offices. A corridor links them to the old sections of the hall. Their autonomy is emphasized by the upper level that protrudes above a glazed ground floor and which is screened with textiles on all sides. The imprinted pattern – enlarged images of rusting high-grade steel – enters into a subtle dialogue and merges with the steel plates.

Inside the turnery there is still the old riveted crane runway that has become a display object, commemorating historical steel construction craftsmanship and enhancing the space and the surrounding gallery. This profane basilica from the 19th century features a ticket counter designed by Hermann Kaufmann and Christian Lenz, a café and a museum shop inside a generous lobby. The round tour on the upper floor begins with a connecting passage at the projection room past the former furnaces, which have been preserved and bear testimony to industrial history. The two foundries positioned at an angle to each other were completely degutted and extended toward the ground floor. On and below platforms that freely float inside the space a wide array of topics are presented in an appealing manner with various objects in changing room configurations. The extensive round tour alters its course from the platforms to the ground floor to extend back via a staircase into the lobby, where the seats of the café encourage lingering.

The urban park, divided into several spatial and thematic zones that frame the premises, provides a high level of recreation and draws a large crowd.