Dornröschen – Reinitializing Selb or ‘Kissing awake the sleeping beauty’
Through a range of strategies and carefully selected interventions the porcelain-city of Selb in the Fichtelgebirge region in Germany will be elevated to a regional center for art, trade, tourism, and culture.
The former porcelain factory, transformed into a contemporary art center, will act as the nucleus for future development. In juxtaposition to the well-established and intact city center around the church and market square, the porcelain factory will be a second center of gravity creating a new and desired field of tension in between both.
The route connecting these two centers will become the main artery of Selb. Sustainable refurbishment, creative conversion, and carefully selected new construction will form a string of pearls along this ‘porcelain route’ to stimulate development in their vicinity.
Within the individual architectural interventions emphasis will be placed on the respectful treatment of the existing built environment which embodies the citys history. While vacant buildings are activated by careful upgrading and imaginative interventions, a small number of distinctive new constructions will be chosen to mark strategic points within the urban network.
Embracing the industrial tradition of Selb will form the basis for a long-term revitalization of the city. Simultaneously the city will be able to sharpen its profile as ‘the place to be’ in the Fichtelgebirge by offering attractive new life/work concepts and room for individual development within established structures. Through this process Porcelain will continue to play a key role!
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