Sibiu's former industrial site is the focus of one of Romania's largest industrial site regeneration projects

A project to regenerate the old industrial site in the historical center of Sibiu is underway.

The first steps in the process of reintegrating the Independence Sibiu industrial site into the life of the community have been taken, as Transilvania Investments has launched a public consultation process to which they have invited local authorities, business people, architects, environmental and heritage organizations, as well as real estate owners in the immediate vicinity.

The aim of the process is to find out what the local community wants to see in this key area of the city and to define the space’s identity together.

Transilvania Investments is the investment fund that owns a 53.35% majority stake in the company that manages the area and has started the regeneration project of the 8.75-hectare former industrial site.

The land is currently owned by Casa Alba - Independența (Independence White House) and was formerly used by the Independence Sibiu factory, a metalwork machinery manufacturing company founded in 1875 by master blacksmith Andreas Rieger, and one of the largest car manufacturers in Romania during the Communist period.

The consultations are structured as a series of four workshops, which the company hopes will lead to the formulation of an optimal solution.

"The potential of this space is very great and our responsibility as the main stakeholder is to make sure that the final destination will be in line with what the people of Sibiu want. This site is an important part of Sibiu's history. Together we can give it a defining status for the economic, cultural, and social future of the city," says the president of Transilvania Investments, Radu Rosca.

On July 27, the second community meeting will take place on-site.

All those invited will present their own ideas on the topics being discussed.

"The results of the participatory planning process will be reflected both in the draft zoning plan that we will submit to the authorities and in an additional set of recommendations for a master plan for the area. The future of this site needs to be thought beyond the rigid rules of a PUZ, and the effort made by the owner will hopefully strengthen this new approach to the urban reintegration of industrial sites in Romania and beyond, with the prior involvement of the community," says Maria Gavozdea, architect at A. Plan, the company appointed to coordinate the whole process.

(Photo source: Transilvania Investments)