Arts Center. Revitalization of the Prohaska Mill in Timișoara

Authors’ Comment

The diploma project aims to reactivate the Prohaska Mill in Timișoara, a former industrial mill located on the banks of the Bega Canal, currently in an advanced state of degradation. The choice of this site stems from an interest in industrial heritage as a silent witness to a dense urban past, often ignored or at risk of disappearance. Built in the first half of the 20th century, the mill played an important role in the city’s economic development, and its reactivation seeks to preserve this memory, reinterpreted in a contemporary key.

The project does not focus solely on preserving a valuable structure, but on transforming it into an active cultural landmark—a vibrant public space capable of responding to the needs of today’s community. The theme is grounded in the belief that industrial heritage should be valued both functionally and symbolically, as an expression of local identity and as support for new forms of social and creative cohesion.

The intervention is conceived on multiple levels: at the city scale, the arts center is integrated into a cultural route along the Bega Canal, connecting with parks, repurposed former industrial sites, and leisure areas. At the neighborhood scale, the project contributes to activating a network of unused spaces, becoming a key point in a potential local masterplan. On site, the intervention includes a series of clear actions: demolishing annexes with no architectural value, freeing the site boundaries to highlight the volumes of the mill and the former administrative building, screening an intrusive neighboring structure, and reconnecting the site to the water by redefining its relationship with the canal.

The proposed transformation includes various functions: coworking spaces, exhibition halls, a multifunctional cinema, a café, a library, and a restaurant with panoramic views of the Bega Canal and the city of Timișoara. The layout opens the main spaces toward the square, the city, and the water, while grouping annexes along the property boundary. The cinema is strategically placed, shaping a clearly defined courtyard together with the mill, the water basin, and the vegetated backdrop—open toward the river on the fourth side. The inner courtyard, square, gardens, tower, and stepped terraces toward the Bega become public spaces accessible to everyone, not just visitors of the center.

The intervention preserves the identity of the industrial architecture, enhancing the structure, finishes, and memory of the place. The building is reintegrated into the urban fabric, becoming a link between the city and the water, a generator of open and attractive spaces. Thus, the project contributes to urban regeneration and increases the area’s touristic appeal.