Finsterwalde cultural weaving mill

In Finsterwalde, the former Schaefersche Tuchfabrik was converted into a cultural and event hall. The open spaces extend as a paved courtyard between the various buildings of the former cloth factory and are strongly influenced by the industrial character of the place. Our design attempts to preserve this character and enhance it by adding simple, modern furnishing elements and adapting it to today's needs.



The character of the site as a former industrial plant was taken into account by reusing the existing granite paving and adding to it in places. The paving continues into the foyer area of the concert hall - here in bonded construction.

The banding in the paving interweaves the site with its history as a cloth factory and at the same time links the different parts of the building with each other. At the same time, the banding incorporates the drainage facilities and acts as a guidance system to indicate building entrances.



The planting is restrained overall and is limited to islands of trees and shrubs with a special quality of stay, as well as the clinker brick wall. In keeping with the location, light planting with a ruderal character was chosen (young birch trees).



For use as a concert and event venue, the focus was on barrier-free accessibility; the design of the open spaces was carried out with the involvement of the Finsterwalde Disability Advisory Council.


The barrier-free areas were designed based on the existing paving of cut small granite paving stones. The paving stones were laid with a narrow joint pattern and the surface was flamed to prevent slipping. The barrier-free paving connects all entrance areas, while the banding serves as a guidance system and tactile demarcation to the other areas.