Centre for Creative Founders

"Perfect Futur": Opening in the Old Slaughterhouse

More than 40 building enterprises at the expense of 2.6 million took part in the restoration and conversion of the landmarked building, in which "Perfekt Futur" has been formed. It is a city of disused sea freight containers, which offers space for creative working. "There is a grand idea behind this project and many will think further", mayor Dr. Frank Mentrup recalls the intention of building a creative centre in 2004.

In the Course of the "Masterplan"

During Karlsruhe's application as cultural capital of Europe 2010, the idea assumed shape and had been complemented and concretised in the course of the Masterplan 2015, with the idea of sponsoring young founders of businesses and establishments for cultural or creative economy. "The structural concept is everything but ordinary. It certainly posed some special challenges," mayor Dr. Mentrup remarked and thanked everyone involved in the project, the Fächer GmbH, the Kulturamt, and the Wirtschaftsförderung for "showing the courage to break new ground in order to help founders in creative branches with creating a nucleus for the creative enterprises of tomorrow."

With 15,000 employees, the city is as early as today a centre of creative economy in the south-west. "All involved parties on the slaughterhouse compound are glad that the building hasn't been torn down," Ruth Rahäuser, member of the occupants' association "ausgeschlachtet", welcomed the newcomers in the creative park and wished them "good luck for a perfect future."

Nils Menrad, representative of the occupants' association of Perfekt Futur, showed his delight about the beginning of the experiment, as "many of us probably have had to leave Karlsruhe due to the demand for space." Juli Foos hopes that "everyone benefits from each other a lot" and for cooperation and the opportunity for exchange in Perfekt Futur. "The project is certainly going to be a success", mayor Michael Obert confidently states. He is positive about the hall, which has been built in 1927 during the first expansion of the slaughterhouse, becoming an urbanistic project with trendsetting utilisation and of exemplary significance. Similar follow-up projects could soon emerge in one of the sister cities of Karlsruhe.

After two interns from the Romanian sister city Temeswar developed the project for the Schweinemarkthalle, a delegation from Nancy as representative of the network of sister cities arrived for the opening ceremony. The party had already been informed about the slaughterhouse area during a guided tour and had met their Karlsruher colleagues from the sectors culture city planning and architecture for professional exchange. "We also have an old slaughterhouse compound right next to an abandoned factory which are to be brought to a new utilisation," Frédéric Chastanier, director for city planning at the association of local authorities in Nancy, said and talked about "gaining many ideas from the visit." At Perfekt Futur, the members of the delegation were especially taken with the quick realisation and the support for the idea within the population.

Information: www.perfekt-futur.de