Kauwgomballenfabriek

Lingotto Real Estate, which has given new life to the building, consciously choose a mixed composition for the chewing gum factory, rather than a monotonous occupation. They wanted to create an inspiring and dynamic shared business space that would add a positive impulse to the image and the social quality of the area.

In the beginning, however, there were several practical obstacles to this successful combination of several different functions. For example, if a furniture maker was using a saw, that caused a nuisance for others. This type of start-up problem was soon overcome, since the tenants appreciate that they sit in a shared building, and therefore take each other’s needs into account.

In contrast to many other creative hotspots, the chewing gum factory was developed by a commercial company, and as such it is living proof that business can make money out of the creative industries. Lingotto saw the potential of the strategically located, 17,000 m2 building. They considered solutions to revitalise the property and make it more dynamic – a rather more charming, but also more effective (and less expensive) response than to simply flatten everything and start from scratch again.

The complex with its four buildings, each with its own separate identity, was instead redeveloped. In order to encourage social cohesion, they found both smaller tenants (approx. 50m2) and large tenants (above 1000m2), giving the preference to those who would be present at night and at weekends. They wanted to bring several people together in small and large, economical and more expensive spaces. The location is now on the map, the studios, workshops and offices are full of activity, and there is a waiting list. Lingotto is presently working on the last part of the project: restoring large, industrial loft office spaces. Next comes the phase of reinforcing the mutual contacts between the different entrepreneurs. At the incubator, there are enormously creative people who are interesting for commercial tenants, and vice versa. There is a new Internet site with all the information on the tenants, so that they can find each other faster and more easily. Informal get-togethers, presentations and meetings are organised in the foyer. What’s more, the tenants are also finding each other by meeting casually in the corridors and hallways.

www.kauwgomballenfabriek.nl
www.anoukvandijk.nl
www.lingotto.nl

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