WHY NOT Reallabor - sozialkreatives Wachküssen eines Leerstandes zur Immovielie
WHY NOT is not only the name of a well-known former brothel in Klagenfurt/Waidmannsdorf, but also the namesake of a unique building culture initiative that spent two and a half years transforming a vacant space on an underused ensemble into a valuable temporary cultural valve - the first architecture living lab (Reallabor) in Carinthia.
This project highlights the extraordinary bottom-up process and the unfolding of potential that was made possible and demonstrated by the civic engagement of the WHY NOT initiative in cooperation with the architecture programme at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. On the one hand, immediately usable, flexible and adaptable event, workshop and meeting spaces have been realised in the former ninepin alley and, on the other hand, a long-term architectural vision has been developed that proposes a socially alternative district development for the historically and urbanistically significant property in the rapidly changing district of Klagenfurt. At the same time, the many different events that have been organised have attracted numerous visitors, demonstrating that there is an absolute need for such a meeting space.
WHY NOT demonstrates the need to counter the pressure from investors, which is also increasingly weighing on cities in Carinthia, with self-confidence and joyful socio-cultural commitment and to open up alternative ways of sustainable property development for the common good - the city of solidarity is possible!
Images and Plans
Technical Description
To enable multifunctional and immediate use, four movable shelves were installed as room dividers in an empty bowling alley. Wooden panels, which are easy for everyone to work with, were chosen as the main material.