For the first time in Romania, a mixed-use urban conversion project includes a cultural center open to the whole community, realized in partnership with Cluj Cultural Center. The space – a concept dedicated to the performing arts – will be part of the project developed by IULIUS Group on the Carbochim platform. With an investment of over half a billion euros, this is the largest urban conversion effort announced in Romania. One of the two industrial heritage buildings of the site, the hall with arcades from the ’50s, will be preserved and brought to the public circuit, receiving cultural functions.
The Carbochim Hall will be transformed into a cultural centre, hosting events in the field of performing arts: concerts, theater and contemporary dance, workshops and festivals. The newly created spaces will be managed by Cluj Cultural Center, with the participation of some of its member organizations that are active in the field of performing arts, and will remain permanently accessible to the artistic community of Cluj, contributing to the development of their program.
“Since 2013, when local community specialists developed the Cultural Strategy of the city, the need to create a contemporary art centre has been defined as the main priority of the sector. We are glad to be able to announce the start of the first project component, the one dedicated to performing arts. The fact that we manage to do this in partnership with the private sector is a first in Romania and excites us all, as it allows us to work side by side, gathering resources and expertise specific to the worlds of both culture and business, in the same project”, declared Ștefan Teișanu, director of the Cluj Cultural Centre.
The need for several spaces dedicated to art and culture was identified as one of the most pressing priorities of the local cultural sector in the study “Work in culture: current models and changes generated by the COVID-19 pandemic”, conducted for Cluj Cultural Center by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Data Science of Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca.
In addition to the performing arts center, the urban conversion project developed by IULIUS Group on the Carbochim platform also includes a performance hall, the first of its kind integrated into a real-estate project, an amphitheater and some outdoor event spaces, the latest cinematography concepts, as well as a mix of leisure opportunities involving dozens of international restaurants and cafes.
The second industrial heritage building to be converted is the administrative building, which will bring together both co-working facilities and pilot spaces to encourage and promote local talent and creative initiatives.
“For the urban conversion project of the Carbochim platform, we want to keep the identity of the place, which we consider of social importance, and, at the same time, to give the two converted industrial buildings a new meaning, with resonance for the general public. Cluj is a strong cultural and creative city, a component that we will highlight in the new development through this partnership with the local cultural environment. We are glad that our vision is confirmed by the community, as the cultural function is one of the main expectations expressed by the people of Cluj for the new development, along with the green spaces, another component that defines our projects “, said Iulian Dascalu, owner of the IULIUS Group.
More details about the largest urban redevelopment project in Romania, the Carbochim platform, are available at www.partedincluj.ro, where the community is invited to express their views and expectations on how this renewed part of Cluj should look like.
About
Cluj Cultural Centre is a non-governmental organization for culture and sustainable development that brings together 116 cultural institutions and organizations, universities, civil society and business associations, as well as local and regional public authorities. The mission of the Centre is to mobilize culture, in partnership with other key sectors, to produce social transformation and urban development, by creating new spaces and programs for culture development and its impact on society. www.cccluj.ro
The IULIUS Group project for urban regeneration of the Carbochim platform in Cluj-Napoca aims to transform the industrial area into a living space, integrating it as part of the city. The factory will be relocated and refurbished, without inactivity periods. The new project includes: the largest retail area in the country (115,000 square meters), with over 400 stores, a cultural centre dedicated to performing arts, the conservation and restoration of two industrial heritage buildings, the development of an integrated approach to green spaces by connecting the newly built urban garden of over 4 hectares with adjacent parks and by completely reconfiguring the road and pedestrian infrastructure, developing an integrated eco-neighborhood, creating a bicycle-pedestrian infrastructure on the Someș banks and arranging it as an outdoor sports centre, the consolidation of a new business pole in Cluj and the construction of the largest underground car park in the country, with over 6,000 parking spots.
