The FABER building is part of a former industrial site, in the Fabric district of Timișoara, on the banks of the Bega river: the United Oil and Soap Factories, now known as AZUR. The site is important because it represents the initial location of a business founded here in the 19th century, that after the communist period returned to the family which initiated it, the Farber family. Currently, the former industrial platform houses a long list of small entrepreneurs and artists, while the owners have not yet rushed to brutally reformulate the content of the plot, even if they have not had industrial activity here for more than half a century.

From an urban perspective, the site is in the middle of a space in transition, which according to the future general urban plan of the city must be transformed into an area with mixed functions. Although there are various discussions about how this complex can be developed, the FABER building is the first to be rehabilitated.

The building has a built area of ​​approximately 1000 square meters, structured and distributed almost equally on two levels: ground floor and first floor. Functionally, the ground floor accommodates a large event room, a foyer, bathrooms, a bistro area with a kitchen and a passage way that provides car access in the courtyard. The first floor accommodates the cowork and makerspace area, 2 medium sized meeting rooms and another 2 small overlapping ones. The vertical circulation takes the shape of a complex device, composed of stairs and platforms, arranged in relationship with the house and river, ensuring both access to the first floor and the possibility for various outdoor activities.

The distribution of spaces between the different organizations reflects the spatial needs of each: AMBASADA operates part of the ground floor, while FOR - the cowork operator - is housed upstairs, with Faber managing the large event room and one of the medium sized meeting rooms on the first floor.

We chose the ”Collective places” category since the key long term objective we, as architects and investors, have set for FABER is to generate a place relevant for the development of the local/regional culture, and foster the collective to use it.

Manifesting this long term objective, the first goal was to generate a detailed brief for the program of the building - co-designed by the extended FABER team. In this process we used all our previous experience as active stakeholders in the community, designing a set of possible activities that are well integrated in the building’s architecture - and which, together with the atmosphere of the space, provide a high quality experience. FABER is a place where one can work, prototype or materialize ideas; perform, present or exhibit concepts and products, brainstorm and collaborate, meet, eat, drink or just have a relaxed afternoon.

The second objective was to design an architectural intervention inspired by the industrial character of the existing building and surroundings - using simple materials and working creatively with large scale gestures. We imagined this building as a public space, hence all materials are durable and easy to maintain over time.

A third objective was to reset the relationship of this place with the city: the public facade of the building was opened-up towards the street and the private one was designed as a generous public space - with its large-scale staircase adorned with open terraces that connect the interior of the building with the courtyard and allow for a great view towards the rest of the city.

A fourth objective was to design a courtyard that will remain connected with the industrial background it is part of and, at the same time, host a variety of different events and informal encounters, using as few resources as possible.

Since its opening, FABER has taught us that collective does not equal sheer numbers, and that its success relies 100% on the quality of human interaction it