Repurposing of Dilapidated Factories Revitalizes City Centers

The Tate Modern museum in London has been located in a former power station built in the 1940s since 2000, and the repurposing of the power station has significantly contributed to the revitalization of the Thames River area and the Southwark district. Two warehouses of the old sugar factory in eastern Lisbon became a space for information technology companies in 2021, while the elevated railway line High Line in New York, which passed through the industrial part of Manhattan, has become a 2.33-kilometer park with millions of visitors.

Numerous global cities have decided to breathe new life into their old dilapidated factories, warehouses, and industrial complexes by repurposing them into business spaces, residential buildings, and venues for social and cultural activities. Croatian cities have also recognized the opportunities offered by the repurposing of factory spaces, with some having already completed their projects, others still in progress, and some just beginning or planning.

For example, in Gruž, right next to the Port of Dubrovnik, the City of Dubrovnik purchased the space of the former TUP (Factory of Carbon Graphite Products) to create a new urban, cultural, and social incubator on nine thousand square meters. The European Commission selected the TUP revitalization project as one of the 20 best projects in Europe as part of the New European Bauhaus initiative. The City of Dubrovnik has thus been provided with expert technical assistance, and the City’s vision is for the TUP spaces in Gruž to become a new social gathering place and a center for creating new jobs, shifting from service to creative activities. The City states that TUP already serves the purpose defined by the project as it is home to the Center for Children, Youth, and Family, the Family Center, as well as numerous creatives, artistic societies, and youth associations from various fields, along with private initiatives such as museums.

– Since the City of Dubrovnik, after Croatia was the first to introduce visas for digital nomads, was the first to start the digital nomad project as a destination promoter five years ago, a coworking space has also been established in TUP. It is intended for remote work and digital nomads, and has proven to be very popular and actually essential for nomads since this is the only dedicated coworking space for digital nomads in Dubrovnik. The space is open from Monday to Friday and usage is free. Various events for digital nomads are planned in this space in the future, such as lectures, quizzes, and social gatherings. The completion of a new offline lounge (rest area) with a kitchen section for digital nomads is underway. The plan is for the Gruž branch of the Dubrovnik Libraries and the deposit of the Scientific Library for materials to move into TUP this year. Construction work worth 1.5 million euros including VAT on the new city library has been completed, fully financed by the city budget. Craft works are ongoing, after which the equipping will follow – they emphasized in Dubrovnik.

—

—

They add that solar power plants are also planned, which promotes the New European Bauhaus, and since Dubrovnik is a desirable backdrop for film shoots of global productions, the City intends to apply for funding from European funds. Thus, a small film studio with commercial purposes would operate in TUP in the future. The City states that a multifunctional and technically well-equipped space for audiovisual activities, concerts, festivals, and other events would be created in one of the former factory halls.

– In November 2020, a new space and permanent exhibition of the Museum of the City of Rijeka were opened in the Administrative Building of the former factory, known as the Sugar Palace. In the so-called Brick Building, the Children’s House was opened in 2021, and at the end of 2023, the City Library of Rijeka began operations in the renovated so-called T-object. Public areas have also been arranged, and the accompanying infrastructure has been built, and the flow of the Brajda stream, which was not visible in the former factory complex, has been opened and arranged. The final phase involves the arrangement and renovation of the old laundry at the entrance of the stream into today’s Art Quarter as a representation of part of the life of Rijeka residents over 100 years ago. A project for the energy renovation of the MMSU is also in preparation, which includes the renovation of the facade.

The City Council of Rijeka has adopted the Strategy for the Development of the Urban Agglomeration of Rijeka for the financial period 2021-2027, which includes the project for the renovation of the Teatrino building, a former workers’ theater Dopo lavoro, within Benčić. The building, along with the Sugar Palace, is listed in the register of immovable cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia. The project plans a modern center for the needs of visual, literary, cultural, film, or performing arts. After the conceptual design for the reconstruction of the building was created last year, this year the main and executive project will be developed, and an application will be submitted for the European competition for the implementation of integrated territorial investments (ITU) – they stated in Rijeka.

The Largest Investment in Cultural Infrastructure

They emphasized that the revitalization of Benčić is one of the largest investments in cultural infrastructure in the history of Croatia. The first phase of the MMSU renovation was financed from the budget of the City of Rijeka with about 900 thousand euros, the renovation of the Sugar Palace is worth about eight million euros and was financed through the project Tourist Valorization of Representative Monuments of Rijeka’s Industrial Heritage, for which the City of Rijeka was approved about 9.1 million euros in non-repayable funds from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020.

The revitalization of the Benčić complex – Brick and T object, worth just over 21 million euros, of which almost a third is financed by EU funds. Through the Urban Agglomeration of Rijeka and the ITU mechanism, the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds approved funds for the project to the City of Rijeka. The arrangement of public areas and the construction of infrastructure in the complex is worth about 10.1 million euros, which is secured from the city budget.

– The Sugar Palace, today the seat of the Museum of the City of Rijeka, has been a protected cultural good since 1970, and was built as the administrative building of the sugar factory in 1752 at the initiative of the Trieste-Rijeka company. After a fire in 1785, it was significantly renovated and equipped with baroque interiors with wall paintings and stucco. In the 19th century, it served as the administrative building of the tobacco factory, and later of the Rikard Benčić engine factory. It represents the highest quality baroque palace on the eastern Adriatic coast, whose construction marked the beginning of Rijeka’s industrial development. The interior of the building is richly decorated with stuccos, frescoes, and ceramic stoves. Research within the building and restoration were carried out by the Croatian Restoration Institute. The H-object in which the MMSU is located was originally built for the needs of the tobacco factory’s production in the 1890s. A part added between the wings of the building along Krešimirova Street was created in the 1930s. The MMSU was established in Rijeka in 1948 as the Gallery of Fine Arts in today’s Governor’s Palace, then the City Cultural Center. In 1956, it moved to the second floor of the University Library on Dolac Street, where it remained until 2017 and the move to this space. The ground floor has an entrance area with an info desk, a bookstore – souvenir shop, a separate exhibition space, accompanying spaces for visitors, and technical spaces of the gallery. The first floor has exhibition spaces, an education hall, and a reading room, office spaces, as well as accompanying storage and sanitary spaces – they enumerate in Rijeka.

A House within a House

Further plans include the renovation and repurposing of the 2nd floor and attic for halls for a permanent museum exhibition, storage, and additional workspaces. A project for the energy renovation of the building has also been developed without changing the dimensions, external appearance, and load-bearing structure. The building housing the Children’s House was an old dryer of the former tobacco factory from the 19th century, they say in Rijeka, and in its new version, it was built as a house within a house because the old interior was demolished and a new building was constructed between the remaining walls. The Children’s House is a cultural center for children and new generations focused on art and culture.

The new building of the City Library of Rijeka is a completely reconstructed so-called T-object, a building constructed in the second half of the 19th century that served the needs of the then tobacco processing factory and the production of cigarettes, later also the Rikard Benčić Engine Factory. With great architectural-historical value, it is an example of industrial architecture from the late 19th century.

– Within the renovated shell, the City Library of Rijeka has for the first time in history received a functional, modern, and substantive form of a central public library. In its first year of operation, during 2024, 21,776 citizens joined its departments and branches, surpassing the record from 2019 of 21,734 members. It should also be noted the Energana project, as a future entrepreneurial incubator intended for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Urban Agglomeration of Rijeka operating in advanced, creative, IT, and gaming industries. Within the project, it has been named Sinergana and is located in the reconstructed building of the power plant of the former Paper Factory Rijeka. Over 2,700 square meters of net area will house specialized spaces and equipment, such as classrooms for the Internet of Things and robotics, video game development, photo and film studios, a data center, or a conference room, as well as over 20 incubation units (business spaces) for entrepreneurs. The total value of this European project is 6,147,183 euros, of which 4,176,543 euros is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, and 368,518 euros has been secured by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds – they assert in Rijeka.

—

Coworking Pula

By renovating the old abandoned Mechanics building in the center of Pula, the city has gained a coworking center designed as a key place for gathering and developing the entrepreneurial community, with an emphasis on new investments, innovations, and the implementation of modern technologies. Coworking Pula encompasses four levels over an area of 1,500 square meters and is used daily by more than a hundred entrepreneurs. The project is worth 3.6 million euros, of which 2.4 million euros is non-repayable co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the City of Pula financed it with 893 thousand euros, and the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds through the Fund for co-financing the implementation of EU projects at the regional and local level with 305.1 million euros.

– Coworking Pula started operations in October 2023. The ground floor and intermediate floor of the center are designed as shared spaces for work, networking, and relaxation, which represents the main offer of the center. On the second floor are offices for entrepreneurs and a multimedia meeting room for video conferences. Office spaces are subject to short-term rental through an open public call. On the third floor, there is a large hall with access to a terrace and accompanying relaxation space. The hall can be partitioned into two separate spaces as needed, allowing different events to be held simultaneously. Since the opening of the coworking center, 400 entrepreneurs, freelancers, and digital nomads have used the open workspace. 150 different events have been held with over 9,500 participants: Idea HUB event, workshops for entrepreneurs such as artificial intelligence, Chat GPT, LinkedIn Meet up, web design, presentation skills, the First Meeting of Digital Nomads in Pula, presentations of business associations with an emphasis on female entrepreneurship, and more events are expected. The Istrian Development Agency – IDA also conducts free education and networking programs for entrepreneurs and craftsmen in the Center, and in 2024, 17 workshops and training sessions were held. The center has hosted over 20 organized visits, including faculties, schools, and open learning institutions – they enumerated in Pula.

The revitalization of the former Osijek Iron Foundry and OLT machine factory is also expected, and the urban planning plan for the City of Osijek is currently being developed, which is a prerequisite for any further steps, they emphasize in the Osijek-Baranja County. The new quarter would be home to 1,600 residents and encompasses the wider center of Osijek. On 5.8 hectares, along with residential buildings, a swimming pool, sports hall, and fighting areas with numerous sports and cultural facilities will be built. Last April, a conceptual design for the Urban Planning of OLT was presented.

In the City of Zagreb, they remind that the realization of the project for the new building of the City Library and social-cultural center in Paromlin began in April 2024, with a construction deadline of two years, after which equipping will follow. The space covers 36,000 square meters, the total value of the project is 94.5 million euros, of which 30 million euros is secured through a loan from the European Investment Bank. The remainder of the amount Zagreb plans to secure through the implementation of the European Union’s Integrated Territorial Investments mechanism and the city budget. The project thus encompasses three components: the reconstruction of existing buildings of the Paromlin industrial complex, namely the transmission building, flour warehouse, and silos which represent cultural goods, the facsimile reconstruction of the mill building, and the construction of a new building.

– Preparations are underway for the revitalization of the Zagrepčanka area in Heinzelova Street. This is a protected cultural good, and a larger part of the complex is also protected as a monument of park architecture. The area of the spatial scope is 9.4 hectares, the total gross building area of the entire complex is 55,292.74 square meters, and the total usable internal area of the entire complex is 42,532.88 square meters. An architectural survey of the existing condition has been made, as well as a Conservation Report prepared by the Institute for Architectural Heritage of the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb. The City Office for Economy, Environmental Sustainability, and Strategic Planning is developing the City Project Program for Zagrepčanka based on conducted studies and analyses and expressed needs for the realization of certain contents. The goal is structural repurposing and modernization of existing building structures while preserving green areas and the historical identity of the space, as well as the construction of new and replacement buildings for business, residential, and public purposes – they describe in the City of Zagreb.

The Gredelj and Main Train Station project is also defined by the City of Zagreb Development Plan until the end of 2027, as one of the strategic projects. The Gredelj area covers an area of 25.6 hectares, and now, they said in Zagreb, preparations for the first phase are underway, namely the revision and consolidation of the programs of the city projects Gredelj and the Main Train Station, the preparation of the program for the implementation of a public urban planning-architectural competition, the preparation of the urban planning documentation, and the preparation of technical documentation for public facilities and spaces. This area could become a new city center of mixed use with public, social, cultural, business, residential, and leisure facilities. The City expects that the historical center of the Lower Town will be optimally connected in terms of traffic and space with Trnje and other settlements south of the railway, and that the protected parts of cultural heritage will be modernized and structurally transformed.

– The complex of the former State Railways Engine Room in Zagreb is protected as a cultural good. Due to the preservation of all essential original spatial, constructive, architectural, and design features, the workshop building for equipping cars and the carpentry building have been valorized as a construction fund of high monument value for which protection measures have determined restitution and restoration of original features. Other buildings in the complex represent a construction fund with altered original features and without special features, and their removal has been allowed. The area of Sljeme-Sesvete is bordered by the railway line to the north, green areas and undeveloped land to the east, Industrial Road to the south, and Ivana Keleka Street to the west, covering an area of 12.8 hectares. Preparations are underway, which include the preparation of the city project program, the preparation of the program for the implementation of a public urban planning-architectural competition, and the preparation of the urban planning documentation – they announce in Zagreb.