Franz, mach was G’scheits! Frieda, Julius, Luis und Co zeign wias geht. Da Hans und da Chris helfn da!

Für alle, die die Eröffnung der Europan Ausstellung heute Abend ab 19:00 nicht schaffen, geben wir einen Einblick in den Beitrag der lokalen Preisträger mia2 – Sandra Gnigler und Gunar Wilhelm gemeinsam mit Lorenz Potocnik, mit denen heute auch in den OÖNachrichten ein Interview veröffentlicht wurde. Dabei stellen wir zwei der insgesamt acht porträtierten und personifizierten Bauteile des „Ensemble im Porträt“ vor: die sozialen Drillingsschwestern Anna, Agnes und Adele und die selbstbewusste, kämpferische Dame Frieda. Den Schwestern (Magazine) wird dabei empfohlen ein lebendiges Wohnen und Arbeiten über Baugruppen zu entwickeln, Frieda (Bauteil 2) wird empfohlen sich als Ort der Frauenwirtschaft in Linz und Oberösterreich zu positionieren. Die „Insel“ der Tabakfabrik soll aber auch insgesamt der sozial-ökologischen Innovation dienen. Das heisst, dass die Zukunft der Tabakfabrik als Bereich des Nonkonformen, der Veränderung und des Regelbrechens ausserhalb einer normalen Welt und der damit verbundenen Routine gesehen wird.

© Sandra Gnigler, Lorenz Potocnik, Gunar Wilhelm

Portrait of an Ensemble
The portrayal of the Tabakfabrik ensemble provides a descriptive narrative of a highly complex constellation of building properties, internal and external interaction, and hidden potential. The creation of characters with names, team roles, and recommendation for use results in easily comprehensible and memorable possibilities for the future of the structures. This portrait then serves as a basis for all further considerations.
A conceptual layer underpins the portrait and its subsequent suggestions for use. This consists of three main development topics, which are not directly connected to the individual personalities of the “team”. These three central issues have the common aim of transforming the Tabakfabrik into an island of socio-economic innovation.
As a consequence, the ensemble dedicates itself to change, nonconformist thinking, and breaking the rules and routines of the conventional world.

Anna, Agnes und Adele © Sandra Gnigler, Lorenz Potocnik, Gunar Wilhelm

The portrait of the ensemble results in six essential propositions:

1. Tabakfabrik Linz can be a „self-learning“ and „self-generating“ organism. Community members, the place, the neighbourhood and the buildings themselves have enormous potential. They all together comply with the requirements needed.
2. The team of Tabakfabrik is predestinated by its quality and history to make a contribution to the badly needed renewal of our society.
3. A 5-year test phase is required to reinvent and develop the Tabakfabrik. In that period of prototyping and pioneering, unorthodox solutions can be started immediatly without the risk of big investment.They then can lead to the intended „final“ use.
4. Important measures of investment and construction should mainly be taken from 2017 on.
5. „Portrait of an Ensemble“ is in its essence a method, an instrument: discussion with Julius and the other members of the team creates options and general principles.They can in turn be publicly debated with and within the city.
6. Developing Tabakfabrik is an urban topic. Its size and neuralgic position on the border to the future Hafenstadt (harbour city), makes it a pacemaker for the larger development. Hafenstadt and Tabakfabrik are therefor in a reciprocal action. Without an urban Hafenstadt no lively Tabakfabrik can evolve and vice versa.

Julius © Sandra Gnigler, Lorenz Potocnik, Gunar Wilhelm

A principle layer exists above the portrait and its subsequent suggestions of use.That layer consists of three main topics not directly connected to personalities of the team.
These three main topics have in common to aim for social-economic innovation.The ensemble in consequence understands itself as „island“ for change, non-conform thinking and braking rules in an all to normal and conventional world.
Handcraft, reparation, and refabrication form a combination and the first topic. Together they constitute a forward-looking field of work.The Festival „Repair“ by the Ars Electronica in 2010 made the start. Richard Sennett delivers the content with his research about conditions of work. Both, reparation and refabrication, need a lot of brainwork and are huge markets to discover. Furthermore and connected with handcraft, they have the potential to provide sense and satisfaction.The well connected location of Tabakfabrik seems ideal.The complement to the strong regional industry is obvious. In an historic approach, handcraft, reparation and refabrication form a contemporary interpretation of manufacturing and production in the Tabakfabrik.
Children, education and empowerment form the second combination and topic. Any discussion and analysis about making our society better or our democracy more lively leads to the question of active and engaged citizens and ends with the chosen topic. Tabakfabrik offers space and the required quality for the needed hybrids, new typologies and experiments in that field. Social enterprise, social innovation and female business form the third combination and topic.These themes can be found in different shape in the proposed uses. Together they raise the claim, to bring in new content and interpretation to a social democracy which got in trouble (worldwide).

Luis © Sandra Gnigler, Lorenz Potocnik, Gunar Wilhelm

Urban Linz is slowly expanding to the east and the – still used – harbor on the river Danube. The harbor in turn develops locally to an area of living and working. Tabakfabrik Linz is positioned on the borderline and intersection of these two, the felt „completed“ inner city and the changing commercial and industrial zones in the east.
The studied concerned area between Tabakfabrik, Danube and commercial harbor can be distinguished in four zones of development. We name them „green and leafy habitation“, „habitation on the Danube“, „leisure waterside“ and „commercial zone and mixed use“.
The whole area has enormous potential to evolve. Documentation of local singular places and places with potential produce a kind of secret city map. These „felt“ or emotional places of that area can become starting points of a new future.

Überblick © Sandra Gnigler, Lorenz Potocnik, Gunar Wilhelm

Hafenstadt © Sandra Gnigler, Lorenz Potocnik, Gunar Wilhelm

© Sandra Gnigler, Lorenz Potocnik, Gunar Wilhelm

Gesamtansicht © Sandra Gnigler, Lorenz Potocnik, Gunar Wilhelm