Courageous pioneers

Cooperative mix

After intensive discussions in which the needs of all interested parties and their possible involvement in the site design were understood, milieus were created from 2012 onwards that were to benefit from each other. In more concrete terms, a production chain was created by creating optimal spatial, networking and framework conditions and positioning these businesses in a specific topology. Art and research should serve as generators for innovations, new products and services, which are then researched and produced by the creative industries. Crafts and industry produce the marketable products, which are exhibited and communicated in showrooms. Instead of restricting potential uses at an early stage, the aim was to create as many types of use as possible on site, especially in the initial revitalization phase. In this way, the wishes and demands of society were not only localized, but also tested.

In the spirit of “neo-industrialization”, the area was designed as a balanced mix of non-commercial and commercial use as a perpetuum mobile of future technologies, crafts, research and education, art, culture and creative industries. This includes profit-oriented private companies as well as voluntary initiatives, state institutions and individuals.

The pioneers are naturally dynamic and heterogeneous and created fruitful synergies through mutual exchange right from the start. Only the lively diversity of possible uses and their preservation – as opposed to a homogenization of interests – guarantee the long-term appeal of this architectural jewel for all classes and age groups, from 2009 to the present day.