Fábrica da Criatividade | MB Arquitectos

The project refers to the rehabilitation of an old industry unit located in Alameda do Cansado in the city of Castelo Branco, with the aim of implementing a Creativity Factory, thus responding to the specificities of some artistic and performing areas such as theatre, dance, music, design and photography.

 The building played a considerable role both in the industrial context and as a reference for urban expansion in this area. The activities verified are symptomatic of the various uses, due to the scale of the building and its privileged position on the top of a hill, next to one of the road accesses of the city.

The initial project, not completed, was intended for a prison, but from this intention just have left the internal structure (courtyard, arcade and 3 turrets) preserved in the several amendments submitted. The registration of the first activity is directed to the manufacture of embroidered quilts of Castelo Branco in the 50's, continuing the use of the building for the textile industry until the end of the twentieth century.

 The rehabilitation proposal was intended to respond to the specific program for the installation of a Creative Industries’ cluster, focusing essentially on the location and spatial characteristics of the building, namely the large empty spaces that resulted both from the dismantling of the industrial unit and from the replacement of the cover structure after the municipality has acquired it.

 A proposal of a vacant equipment requalification, which is translated in a lever of urban regeneration of a neighbourhood that is orthogonally designed by the limits of the building and Alameda do Cansado.

CONCEPT

The intervention concept searches for polyvalence of use, taking into consideration the interdisciplinarity of the several areas that are related to space, which are complemented and coordinated both in the directly related activities and in the openness to the community and institutions through the allowance of spaces and workshops, and the execution of temporary events or exhibitions.

The conceptual process follows that principle. The space becomes fluid, unusually incomplete, in the materials and in the logic of occupation. It assumes itself in its utility function and the intervention is assumed as a re-writing of this new use, evidencing the several times that built the building, patrimonial social and cultural memories that is called in the (re)construction of its identity.

ORGANOGRAM

 The building consists of three floors distributed as follows:

 In Floor -1 the intervention is partial not occupying the total area of the floor, the area affected is a technical zone.

 The Floor 0 includes the following spaces of common use:

·         Experimental Room, with capacity for 200 seats;

·         Foyer to support the experimental room;

·         Black Boxes para rehearsals;

·         Cultural Room, for temporary exhibitions;

·         Four workshops for the construction of materials (props, sets, wooden and other  structures, painting);

·         Control Room, technical space to support the Experimental room;

·         Seating area, area reserved for leisure between activities;

·         Coworking;

·         Fashion Design Production Room;

·         Storage, dressing rooms, reception and sanitary facilities.

The Floor 1 includes spaces of common use and spaces intended for specific use:

 • Coworking;

• Design Cabinets;

• Work rooms;

• Library;

• Photo lab;

• Living Area and Sanitary Facilities;

• Management;