[1][2] Originally, the museum property was the venue for a turbine and hydropower machine factory (Rüsch-Werke), founded by Josef Ignaz Rüsch in 1827.

This decision also meant a long-term commitment to the preservation of Dornbirn's industrial architecture heritage and to the nature-conscious public use of this city district.

[3] Completed in 2003, inatura's contemporary building complex was (re-)designed and -constructed using plans by the architecture firm HK Architekten.

Special features of the inatura include interactive zones for explaining technical and physical phenomena.

It also publishes "Red Lists" of endangered species, compiled on behalf of the Vorarlberg state government.