Former windmill factory proposed as new ‘vibrant culture house’
By David Malone, Associate Editor
An old windmill factory in Viborg, Denmark is at the center of EFFEKT’s winning Streetmekka Viborg proposal, which will turn the vacant industrial building into a ‘vibrant culture house’ for street sports, street culture, and street art.
The windmill factory, as it currently stands, has a nearly identical appearance compared to any other warehouse constructed of prefabricated concrete panels or corrugated steel, but the Streetmekka Viborg proposal would change that significantly.
The existing building will be wrapped in a new performative translucent skin to make it lighter and more welcoming. This skin is made of polycarbonate panels and changes from day to night. In the daytime, the building will have a solid aesthetic, while at night the skin becomes a giant canvas for the local artists as light emanates from within, displaying artwork not visible during the day.
The interior of the building would be opened up and become a covered streetscape leading to the outside. The interior space will be developed into parkour, basketball, soccer, skate, bouldering, and dance areas. Customized workshop areas for DJing, music production, an animation studio, a maker lab, and artist studios will also be included. Placed within all of these designated areas are social spaces and hangout zones.
Each function will be organized within the building based on its specific needs such as spatial quality, daylight, materiality, and temperature zones.
The street culture theme is carried to the exterior of the building, as well. The landscape will provide additional space for street sports and street culture functions. A recreational string of greenery will connect to the main city pathway. Overall, the transformed factory will provide 4,000 sm of space.
