We initiated research and prototyping for the overall experience design. A creative framework with a storyline was developed for content mapping, integrating key topics and partners, providing a cohesive experience. This appeals to both Hamburg locals and tourists exploring Northern Europe's infrastructural hub. In the detailed design phase as well, all ideas for individual stations and experiences were consistently validated against the overarching concept and story. This process gave rise to the name, brand, and corporate design of Discovery Dock. The scenography and experience design defined the space in the style of a futuristic container landscape.

The visitor journey begins with immersive video installations and a 4K projection mapping on a massive harbor model with real-time data. At seven additional stations, guests can individually or in small groups deepen their knowledge about the environment, economy, and more through virtual reality, interactive terminals, and 3D and light installations in a playful way.

Visitors immerse themselves in the diverse harbor world through an elaborate film installation on eight massive screens in the so-called Transition Room. Here, as in the main room, a 3D audio dome awaits them, for which more than 80 speakers and over 2 kilometers of wiring were installed.

Visitors use motion-sensor 3D-printed flashlights to find smuggled goods in Hamburg Customs footage. A projection hides these behind container walls. By scanning the surface, they can uncover hidden items like drugs and stuffed animals.

Visitors in a telescopic lift explore one of Europe's largest dry docks, where a ship is under repair. A custom platform with haptic controls and a bass shaker, paired with a detailed 3D VR recreation, allows them to feel every lift movement.

Visitors can explore up to 35 facts about harbor goods at an interactive table by placing 3D-printed containers on a scale. The goods react with physical accuracy to touch, offering a playful learning experience.

Visitors can examine the hidden underwater world of the Elbe and its inhabitants in a realistic Unreal engine 3D reconstruction. The animals react to interactions in real time: From harbor porpoises that curiously follow you, to schools of fish that react to visitors' presence thanks to infrared cameras, to crabs that snap at fingers when you tap on the glass. To make the animals as lifelike as possible, the real world was carefully referenced – we examined a real Chinese mitten crab in a water environment to observe the behavior of its texture.

In an interactive tunnel, visitors can send a container on its journey through the fully automated terminal. You follow it and its cargo from the ship through the container block storage to yourself. Every phase of the journey was specifically designed to make the processes as tangible as possible – operable with just a single finger press. A unique approach to storytelling, brought to life with 3D graphics, interactive light installations, and original sound recordings from the terminal.

In the finale of the experience, visitors are taken on a journey into the visionary future of the harbor. What was previously the harbor model now transforms into a canvas for audiovisual storytelling. Projection mapping and a 3D sound dome transport visitors into a world of container drones and hyperloops.

To ensure a consistent experience, a central infrastructure – the so-called Hub – was developed to control all stations, audio, and light installations. This allows hundreds of visitors daily to pass through the exhibition on a tightly scheduled timetable – in the lobby and Transition Room, one group is already starting while another is still going through the exhibition.

The resulting overall experience is a new approach in immersive exhibition design. It demonstrates not only the potential of modern technologies to create a new world of edutainment, but also the potential to unlock entirely new, future-oriented revenue streams for companies. The exhibition can be visited near the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and is open daily.