CMb.industries applied for the realignment of the Rinderhallen Sankt Marx in Vienna in 2017. This is an excerpt of the concept presented, which made it to the final round.
The Sankt Marx cattle hall was once an extended slaughterhouse, a waiting room for death. History is now turning towards life. Surrounded by bio-campuses and gene laboratories, new bios, which is the Greek translation for life, is also developing here. A biosphere is being created, a greenhouse of innovation. Transparent ETFE membranes are installed as a protective skin that preserves the view of the listed cast iron construction, allows the imposingly large space to continue to be experienced and permits independent climatic zones. This technical innovation enables a minimally invasive intervention in the rightly listed architecture, ensures ecological management and creates a sphere of innovation with the potential to become an international landmark through its new use.
Various spheres ensure maximum flexibility inside the hall. The combination of modular elements – white containers, zendomes, platforms, etc. – on different levels results in new perspectives, the best possible working conditions and a landscape with the appearance of an intergalactic research, work and lifestyle station that relates to the creative environment of the Rinderhalle. A focus location for the eleven sub-markets of the creative industries (music industry, book market, art market, film industry, broadcasting industry, performing arts, architecture market, design industry, press market, advertising market, software/games industry), with the prognosis of creating new ones, shaping an ecology and attracting international attention. These sectors also demand and enable the establishment of urban trend sports, for which Spaces for Sports are intended. We know from our experience of many urban development projects, the redevelopment of listed properties, the establishment of creative industry centers and start-up incubators, as well as from economic and sociological studies: Space, ecology, capital, tolerance, lifestyle and story attract talent and form an innovation sphere, a market hall of opportunities. The creative class not only includes the classic creative disciplines, it is also increasingly about entrepreneurs, scientists, employees in knowledge-based professions and the increased involvement of a broad public in merging with the neighborhood.
A creativity-stimulating space is being created that can be modularly adapted and staged to meet the needs of the mix of tenants from the cultural and creative industries, gastronomy and retail, commerce and the start-up scene. The flair of new urbanity can be clearly felt by guests from all over the world who are visiting for the architectural sophistication, strolling through the stores, attending a conference, going to the theater, meeting up for a barbecue, competing in a drone race or working up a sweat doing sports.
