Disused public baths are being transformed into a new centre for creative businesses and start-ups.
- 07 May 2014
We hope to create an environment that will encourage creativity in this new centre.
A historic building which used to accommodate a complex of public baths and wellness facilities in the southern German city of Pforzheim is being converted to provide office accommodation for the cultural and creative industries.
Because of safety issues the art nouveau Emma-Jaeger-Bad in the building was closed down after it was found that it would be prohibitively expensive to rectify the spa’s problems. Instead, the decision was taken to convert the historic 3 000 m2 building into a business centre for start-ups, young entrepreneurs and people working in the creative industries, especially in the fields of advertising, jewellery and design.
Incubation space
The converted building will house an exhibition and events hall, capable of accommodating 99 people, a workshop and co-working area with around 35 workplaces, 20 offices as well as half a dozen meeting and seminar rooms. The conversion work involves preserving many of the original design features of the century-old historic spa building, which was constructed in 1911.
Project manager Almut Benkert said that a large number of school leavers from a nearby high-school had expressed interest in renting space in the new centre, when it opens in the summer of 2014.
Pforzheim has historically had an important jewellery industry and it is expected that many of the businesses moving into the new centre will continue this tradition.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Kreativzentrum, Pforzheim” amounted to EUR 8 000 000, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributed EUR 3 200 000 from the “Baden-Württemberg” Operational Programme for the 2007-2013 programming period. The regional contribution was EUR 1 100 000.