SWOT-Analysis of Halle 14 in the Cotton Spinning ... - Central Europe

Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city
6.3 Planning status
So far, on the entire site of the former factory, the building envelopes of Hallen (‘factory buildings’) 3, 4, 5 and 6 as
well as the nursery school have been refurbished. Economic stability is provided by the many small and large tenants,
such as a cafe, a computer shop, a bicycle manufacturer, a shop selling art supplies, various art galleries, and
the artists’ studios. Within this overall commercial development, Halle 14 is unique since it currently serves and will
continue to be used for non-profit-making purposes.
The four-storey building erected in 1890/91 of what is now Halle 14 was used for a period of five years starting in
2002 in an unrefurbished condition – a development which was encouraged in 2002 by the architectural symposium
entitled ‘Architecture Thinking Socially’. The Federkiel Foundation was in overall charge of the building’s use. It subsidised
operation and staff and also supported project work. Since 2007, the building has been run by the registered
association HALLE 14 e.V.
Gradual refurbishment of the interior began in 2007. In 2009, the roof and facade were renovated with public funding.
The next construction phase is planned for 2011/2012 and will comprise the installation of additional utility and infrastructure
facilities as well as ensuring compliance with fire regulations. So far, interior work has focused on completing
the visitors’ centre and the exhibition rooms as well as refurbishing the windows. The partners HGB and the Columbus
Art Foundation have largely refurbished their premises on the second floor by themselves during their longstanding
cooperation. Generally speaking, the structural condition of most of the buildings on the Leipzig Cotton
Spinning Mill site is comparatively good. This is due to their solid masonry construction, originally intended to keep
the temperature as stable as possible for cotton production. The buildings were mostly constructed using a solid brick
structure and walls more than 1 metre thick combined with large, stable cast-iron box-type windows, cork insulation
and landscaped roofs. Accordingly, the investment costs for the repair and refurbishment of the buildings are relatively
low, as are the running costs and overheads. Unfortunately, this situation only partly applies to Halle 14, where the
windows were replaced in 1988/89 by new thermal glass windows with metal frames beset by poor insulation.
The partly implemented usage concept provides for the following elements. The visitors’ centre including an information
counter, lounge, project rooms and office on the ground floor has existed in its current form since the beginning
of 2009 and serves as a source of information and the centre for events and communication. The ground floor also
contains the exhibition area of HALLE 14 e.V. measuring 2,400 square metres with a room inside a room and a twostorey
course room for the ‘Kreative Spinner’ art appreciation project, which is partly conducted in cooperation with
Leipzig schools. A library (recognised by the Free State of Saxony as a museum and art library) complete with an
archive is also located in the visitors’ centre on the ground floor. Beneath it in the basement are workshops and
storerooms. The second floor is mainly used as partner premises, currently by the Columbus Art Foundation and the
Universal Cube, and contains exhibition space belonging to HGB Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts. However, seminar
rooms and additional exhibition premises and visitors’ apartments are still planned. Generally speaking, in the concept
for Halle 14, the exhibition areas are planned as the ‘luxury of emptiness’. The architecture preserves the building’s
large areas.
The exhibitions staged by HALLE 14 e.V. are the association’s central task. Since 2003 it has held between one and
three international, mostly thematic, group exhibitions every year. Until 2007 the exhibitions were organised by the
Federkiel Foundation; since 2008 HALLE 14 e.V. has been the project organiser. They have included for example
the exhibitions ‘Xtreme Houses’ (2004), ‘Passion of Collecting’ (2005), ‘Culture of Angst’ (2006), ‘Uncertainty’ (2008),
‘Artistic Errors – Erroneous Art’ (2009) and ‘All Hands on the Machine!’ (2010). The exhibitions staged at Halle 14
draw between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors every year. Since the exhibition rooms are unheated, the exhibition season
(including for the partner areas) runs from early May until late October.
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