Some ideas remain just ideas. And then there are ideas that, at some point, come to include not only windows and doors, but also workshops, offices, and an atrium—and, of course, people who move in and work there. CampusVäre now definitively belongs to the second category.
With the opening of the renovated Hall 4, another major milestone has been reached in Dornbirn. Where textiles were once produced in the halls of F. M. Hämmerle, a center for entrepreneurs, the creative industries, art, and culture is now taking shape on the former industrial site. Twenty-one new office spaces have been created across an area of 2,500 square meters. The city of Dornbirn has invested approximately 4.5 million euros in the renovation.
What matters most here isn’t the square meterage—it’s the courage to give an old industrial warehouse a new future. What has been created here is the result of a remarkable collective effort.
V for Valley – Innovation Hubs in Vorarlberg
Long before the halls were to be converted into ready-to-occupy spaces, the state of Vorarlberg, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Federation of Austrian Industries commissioned CMb.industries to conduct a feasibility study on potential innovation hubs.
We organized workshops and on-site visits and identified ideal conditions for an innovation ecosystem in Dornbirn. In addition, we were the first to recognize the now-completed hall as an existing property with development potential and included it in the study’s development radar.
From the study (V for Valley) by CMb.industries
A Damn Lot of Work
Experience shows that there is a (damn) lot of work between a study and its implementation. Our recommendations laid the groundwork for the next steps, which were consistently followed through by those in charge.
And this requires dedicated people who pave the way and take on responsibility, as well as those who win others over and those who actually invest and build or renovate. And it takes a good dose of courage, creative enthusiasm, and perseverance! The CampusVäre association—founded by the State of Vorarlberg, the City of Dornbirn, and the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences with the mission of transforming the former industrial halls into a center for the creative industries, innovation, art, and culture—is truly doing a magnificent job.
Congratulations to Governor Markus Wallner, State Councilor Marco Tittler, Mathias Burtscher (IV), Alois Flatz (Flatz & Partner), Hubert Rhomberg, Christian Lutz, and Jodok Batlogg (Tree.ly), as well as Bettina Steindl, the entire CampusVäre team, and everyone involved who has championed, further developed, and brought this vision to life over the years.
You’ve achieved a major milestone!
In Dornbirn, you can now see just how much power such an ecosystem can generate.
We’re very proud that we were able to contribute our thoughts, questions, and ideas right at the beginning of this story. The fact that others have turned them into real spaces makes us even prouder.
Good luck, CampusVäre!
Links:
Governor Wallner: Innovation Is the Raw Material of the Future
Rent | CampusVäre – Creative Institute Vorarlberg
