The Linz Tobacco Factory is reinterpreted starting
from the only plastic element of the whole factory complex, the electric plant, which is its core
element as well. The site is cleared from the excrescences which were not part of Peter Behren’s original
project. The demolition debris are used for modelling the ground, from which
the new single building stands out, conceived as a volume whose shape is simple
but whose functional structure is complex. This new building produces and irradiates the whole
system mobility and houses the elevated metro station. The elevated mobility
system contained in a series of variable section pipes connects the different
volumes, producing a web of panoramic spaces over the ground. The regenerated spaces will house a centre for
recovering and transforming electronic waste according to the edutainment practice. Visitors as
informatics users will be led through a both physical and mental path that aims
at developing a cognition of externalities connected to informatics usage, that
nowadays has become dim because of frequency and routine. Issues range from
energy consumption to the socio- economic consequences of finding raw materials,
to component recovery business. The whole regeneration cycle will turn into an
educational path for visitors through experiential activities. The most recent and best-preserved products, revised
and equipped with open source software, will be given to non profit
organizations. The remainder e-waste will be dismantled into their basic
components whereas raw materials, that are often very difficult to find, will
be used for making new machines. Components that are not directly reusable will
turn into useful material for the creative work of artists and designers, whose
task will be to investigate into new forms of re-usage aiming at raising
awareness about the energy issue.