Rapid technological developement and social changes continually bring new innovations into our lives, reshaping our needs, relationships, and understanding of the world around us while also influencing spatial management. Economic progress is constantly driven by the optimization of production processes and the pursuit of profit. New industries displace older ones and as a byproduct this dynamic often leaves behind abandoned industrial areas.
For many, these areas primarily represent spaces of lost potential that need to be quickly repurposed with new activities, replacing the industries that modernity has sidelined. However, in the rush for economic optimization, it is often overlooked that such abandoned industrial sites frequently hold significant historical heritage tied to the identity of the place and its local community, offering inherent potential for the future.
This master’s thesis addresses such industrial site, the former brickworks in the village of Bilje. Once a symbol of economic development, social life, and local identity, it is now largely regarded as a disruptive element, long disconnected from the settlement’s development and the lives of its inhabitants. The project aims to revive the brickmaking heritage – deeply rooted in collective memory decades after the brickworks’ kilns fell silent – by linking the past and present, creating public space, and involving local residents, thereby contributing to the area’s development and broader recognition.
On an urban planning level, the project pursues these goals by logically dividing the abandoned brickworks complex into four zones during the renovation process. These zones are thematically connected to the heritage and needs of the local community while programmatically enhancing the restored built structures. As part of the revitalization, the existing brickworks building is partially preserved and repurposed as a public brickmaking museum that introduces the heritage of brickmaking to a wider audience. Additionally, it houses community spaces that enable the old brickworks to once again become a cornerstone of the local community, as well as tourist accommodations that contribute to the economic development of the area. This approach seeks to rejuvenate the space and open new opportunities for development and the establishment of fresh dynamics.
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