New innovations in historic surroundings: Rauchmühle district in Salzburg completed
New innovations in historic surroundings: Rauchmühle district in Salzburg completed
Completion of the revitalization of the historic existing buildings in the Rauchmühle district. (Photo: Niko Zuparic)
Salzburg (Austria) Where the Mühlbach once provided the grinding power, another milestone in the extensive development process in the 700-year history has now taken place: In the Rauchmühle district, PRISMA is providing important impetus with companies from the creative and digital industries on site. With hotelkit, Bühler, reqPool and Terra Cognita, the first companies are using the historic Alte Mühlhaus and Villa Ceconi. The PRISMA group of companies invited to a media tour.
Quarter with actual qualities and uses
For hundreds of years, water flowed through the Rauchmühle here. Water set the mill wheel, grinding stones and later turbines in motion. Today, companies set digital and creative processes in motion at the Quartier Rauchmühle site. The transformation continues. High-tech infrastructure is standard in the revitalized Altes Mühlhaus and Villa Ceconi, as is networked use of the rooms inside and out. After the extensive development process and the revitalization of the historic Rauchmühle industrial ensemble into a location for the Salzburg creative and digital economy, the renatured streams of the Glan and the Maxglaner Mühlbach as well as the more than 220 new apartments already due to the use-related, the 700-year-old area offers an attractive mixing
The original brick walls reveal history, are revitalized – but left raw and create an exciting atmosphere with industrial testimonies in metal and modern elements in glass and metal. An overall concept that leaves plenty of room for creativity and innovation for users. Networked elements are architecturally reflected in an extraordinary spiral staircase made of steel. The hotelkit company has plenty of space in the halls and historic rooms that PRISMA has revitalized with a great deal of responsibility. Community, networking and events find just as much space here as the offices of the specialist for digital hotel management.
The companies Bühler, Checklens, Terra Cognita and reqPOOL also strengthen the location with their content. reqPool is a specialist in software strategy, software procurement and software innovation. Terra Cognita is a technical office for spatial planning and applied geography. Checklens AI helps retailers around the world reduce losses and support employees in their work. Bühler is a global leader in process engineering, particularly in production technologies and services for the manufacture of food and technical materials. With great respect for the history of the district, the architects Erhard Steiner, Salzburg (existing villa, machine house), Georg Huber, Salzburg (existing villa, machine house), Aicher Civil Engineer GmbH – architects’ office, Dornbirn (existing Mühlhaus, silo ) and Rainer Köberl, Innsbruck (Mühlhaus stand, silo).
A green heart beats for everyone in the Rauchmühle district. Carla Lo Landschaftsarchitektur, Vienna, is responsible for the high-quality exterior design of the approx. 16,500 m2 of open, recreation and green areas, which brings the public space close to the users in the quarter and opens the quarter to invitations. With the numerous green areas along the two renatured river courses of Glan and Maxglaner Mühlbach, thoroughfares as well as the footpaths and cycle paths for the quarter, networking qualities have been created.
Local recreation and natural landscape in the middle of the city. Approximately 220 rental and owner-occupied apartments in a total of eight buildings, one of which has been revitalized, have already been occupied by the users in two stages in 2020 and 2021. The architects from Oslo, Helen & Hard, are responsible for the architecture. The apartment sizes vary in living models (privately financed and subsidized) from 1-room units with around 40 m² to 5-room apartments with up to 124 m².
Historic site and cooperative development
The history of today’s Rauchmühle can be traced back to the year 1330. At that time it was located far outside the city center, but by the time the company closed in 2011, the historic industrial area had long been part of the urban part of Salzburg. With the shutdown of the mill operation, a multi-year, cooperative development process started under the leadership of the PRISMA group of companies with the involvement of the public, representatives of the city and state of Salzburg as well as local and international experts from various disciplines. The objectives of the development were the preservation of historically valuable buildings and atmospheres, the creation of high-quality living and working spaces and the provision of new green spaces in the form of renatured streams.
Sustainable commitment from PRISMA and the Rauch family
Historically valuable buildings such as the old mill house, the old silo and the Ceconi Villa remain the property of the PRISMA group of companies together with the Rauch family. These modern locations in historical dress are specifically intended for companies from the digital and creative industries. Likewise, a new building with 12 privately financed rental apartments will remain in the joint company of PRISMA and Rauch and will probably attract considerable interest from the project partners, who are investing a total of approx. 55 million euros in the Rauchmühle location.
Statement DI Bernhard Ölz, CEO PRISMA group of companies
“Yesterday water drove the mill wheel, today creative and digital processes are set in motion. The history of the historical ensemble of the Rauchmühle goes back to the 14th century. Not only are we aware of this historical responsibility, we see irreplaceable potential here for shaping the future. With the spatial and complex transformation of the historic building, a new, powerful impulse for Salzburg’s digital and creative industries is set. Companies such as hotelkit, Bühler AG, Checklens GmbH, Terra Cognita and reqPOOL are shaping this transformation with sustainable, concrete content.”