Smart Solutions
Reactivation of historic buildings
The full recovery of an unused public building, as an engine of transformation in a rural municipality through a participatory process.
Implemented in : Kuartango (Álava)
Country :
How do you rate this example?
- What’s the solution?
- What makes it smart?
- How is the solution implemented?
- In what local context has it been applied?
- Who was behind the implementation?
- What was the local journey?
- What have been the main outputs & results?
- What does it bring the village/community?
- What’s needed
- What to do…
- and not to do.
Where and when
Implemented in : Kuartango (Álava)
Country :
Population : 435
Date : 2018 – Ongoing
Find out more
Contact person : Eduardo Fernández de Pinedo
E-mail : edepinedo@gmail.com
Link(s) :
Last updated : 13/06/22
What’s the solution?
The complete rehabilitation and reactivation of unused historic buildings through a public-private partnership type approach takes advantage of a ‘sleeping’ local asset in order to create an engine of transformation within a rural municipality.
A key element is to undertake this work through a participatory process that works with local municipalities, but also engages local people and associations in the design as well as in the implementation of the rehabilitation and proposed use, as well as in the long-term management of the space. This both gives meaning to and can increase the chances of success of the eventual rehabilitation and reactivation efforts – harness public and private investment as well as engagement and commitment to see the project through.
Engaging the community offers the potential to develop a feasible project idea combining financial with community, social, arts or other benefits. It offers the potential to develop space for uses as diverse as business centres and arts venues or hotels and community centres, including potential residential opportunities for local people. These can be selected according to the identified needs and development potential of the village.
The purpose is to transform these ‘sleeping’ assets into generators of opportunities in different areas (employment, culture, social purposes, etc.), overcoming the barriers that can stop a single developer motivated principally by financial gain from undertaking the required investment. The approach thus provides a solution to a common challenge in many rural towns and villages: the existence of large historic and often public buildings without use and falling into increasing disrepair.
What makes it smart?
The solution is smart because ...
- Through a participatory process, the citizens found multiple solutions for a previous problem (the existence of a disused building).
- These solutions respond to problems related with the development of the rural municipality: work spaces (permanent and sporadic); spaces for entrepreneurs (local and foreign); spaces for socio-cultural activities that promote community development; generation of renewable energy for self-consumption; housing offer for local young people and possible foreigners; spaces to promote the use of new digital technologies with training for both young and old people.
- A participatory process with the citizens defines useful and necessary uses for an empty space. These new uses want to develop economically, socio-culturally, environmentally and technologically the rural municipality.
- This participatory process ensures a real relationship between citizens' needs and solutions. On the other side, the citizens are now involved in the implementation of a community project.
How is the solution implemented?
Interest of the population in the recovery and evaluation of the building.
It's important to hire an expert company in participation processes, especially in this kind of project. Therefore, it's important too to have funding for this recruitment.
In what local context has it been applied?
Kuartango is a small municipality in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. It is a municipality with a high degree of rurality (G1 LEADER), an ageing population (26% over 65 years) and very low population density (4 inhabitants / km2).
The main economic activity is in the primary sector (stockbreeding). The village has local shops and benefits from a doctors surgery, but does not have either a pharmacy or a school. It has a fairly active local community, but faces clear and ongoing risks of depopulation.
The municipality historically housed a health resort/spa (balneario), which has fallen into disuse and is now a large empty historic building at risk of further deterioration in the heart of the municipality. Options to use the building for a nursing home or hotel were explored, but abandoned due the high level of investment needed to rehabilitate the building.
At the same time, the municipality was seeking possibilities to provide opportunities to the existing population and attract new potential residents.
Who was behind the implementation?
- The project was initiated by the Municipality of Kuartango
Thanks to an initial grant from the Department of Culture of the Basque Government, the municipality was able to engage other stakeholders in taking the project forward:
- ‘Valle de Kuartango’ Foundation
- Local Association ‘Friends of the Kuartango Spa’ (Asociación de Amigos del Balneario de Kuartango)
- ‘Conexiones Improbables’ – a Basque platform promoting open innovation projects in arts and culture
- Local population.
What was the local journey?
- The process began when the old Balneario building, built in 1890 and with a surface area of more than 5000 m2, began to show obvious signs of deterioration after more than 25 years without use.
- Through different conversations and thanks to research carried out by the Friends of the Kuartango Spa Association, the Municipal Council discovered that the majority of the local population was against the demolition of the old building because of their emotional connection with the building and the local heritage they perceived within it.
- The Municipal council agreed to launch a project to restore the building, initially in dialogue with the Association – with the aim to recover the building and provide a new impetus and additional opportunities to the existing population and attract new potential residents to the village.
- At the beginning of the rehabilitation process and before starting the participatory process, the City Council made an open call for companies that wanted to establish a project in the building. Two companies was selected. These companies rehabilitated the spaces in exchange for an assignment for use.
- Thanks to a grant from the Department of Culture of the Basque Government, the company "Conexiones Improbables" joined the project and launched the participatory process through a through a ‘hybrid’ methodology that linked the needs and challenges of the local organisations and communities with the creativity and know-how of outsider creators and artists. They followed a ‘step-by-step’ process that developed the project gradually and which focused on fostering more sustainable, committed, deep-rooted, radical and responsible innovation in regards to the development and long-term impact of the building in its intended use.
- The participatory process lasted almost a year, including eight face-to-face sessions in different formats. Two main strands of activity were driven by two different working groups involving representatives of the Municipality and local stakeholders from the village and surrounding area (territorial scale): firstly a Strategic Reflection Group to drive the project; and 2) a Broad Group (including also a group of artists) to think more broadly about potential ideas and uses. The process thus combined a participatory and strategic reflection work with a "Creative Pills" format developed by “Conexiones improbables” to input external expertise and ideas.
- Along the process, additional meetings, participatory workshops and interviews were conducted to get further ideas and input into the development of the spa. In total, more than 40 people took part in the participatory process.
- The Broad Group defined six possible scenarios for action: theatre, offices, coworking space, leisure and nature, infrastructure for renewable energy generation, and the construction of 12 social housing apartments).
- The rehabilitation of the building is being undertaken gradually by the contracted companies. This has included some of the most important steps to be able to start using part of the building safely including: ensuring structural integrity; repairs to the roof, facades, doors and windows; removal of architectural barriers; installation of an elevator and stairs to guarantee universal accessibility; installation of new toilet facilities; and some works of surrounding urbanisation for access reasons. Until now, most of the investment has been destined to consolidate and rehabilitate the building.
- The rehabilitation project is still ongoing, but it already allows the use of building. For now, the most advanced solution is the coworking area. Adaptation and reform of the theatre has also been undertaken.
What have been the main outputs & results?
- The building is owned by the Municipal Council. The first two companies that were installed rehabilitated part of the building in exchange for an assignment for use. Projects in the Coworking Space and SMES must pay a rent.
- Through different rehabilitation actions, a third of the surface of the old spa building has been recovered for public-private use, including important spaces for public use such as the theatre.
- The building has been renovated including rehabilitation of the roof, facades doors and windows which have served to improve its energetic efficiency and security.
- Two companies already launched their projects there by early 2021 and another four SMEs will be installed on the site by the end of the year, as well as a new Coworking Space with capacity for 10 projects/workers.
- This process has already created expectations of its possible replication in other areas. The project is now part of the National Network of Welcoming Towns for Telework in Spain (Red Nacional de Pueblos Acogedores de Teletrabajo).
What does it bring the village/community?
- The final projects are allowing the establishment of companies in the valley, leading to the arrival of new inhabitants as well as employment opportunities for the youth inhabitants.
- The public-private nature of the project creates connection between companies and citizens, between the companies themselves, and between the citizens who make use of the spaces.
- Through the involvement of citizens in decision-making, community cohesion has been strengthened and the population is certain to be involved in the design and implementation of the ongoing and future projects – creating further levers for local economic and social development.
What’s needed
Financial resources
Main types of cost:
Financial needs:
Installation / investment costs: 1 563 500 €
• Consultants fees for the participatory process: 27 500 €.
• Initial physical infrastructure investment: 1 536 000 €.
The Coworking Space would need an additional investment of € 25,000 to start working.
The next project to be launched could be the ‘Cultural Factory’; which would requires an estimated additional investment of about € 35,000.
Ongoing expenses: the participatory process does not have ongoing expenses. The fixed costs per year for the first two proposed uses (Coworking Space and Cultural Factory) would require an investment about € 15,000 and € 10,000, respectively – these costs should be covered by the contributions of customers and users.
Funding received:
| Source | Amount | Funded |
|---|---|---|
| Gobierno Vasco. Dpto. de Cultura | 27,500 € | "Urratsera": Participatory process to find new uses for the Balneario building. |
| Diputación Foral de Álava | 727,000 € | Urbanisation. Building environment. Adaptation of the first floor. Construction of toilet rooms. Suppression of Architectural Barriers. |
| Gobierno Vasco. Ayudas Leader y otras | 494,000 € | Adaptation of the first floor. Construction of toilet rooms. Refurbishment of the Theater. Roof rehabilitation. |
Human resources
• Local leaders to drive the process (Municipal Council)
• Consultants to lead the participatory process. (Conexiones Improbables)
• Local citizens engaged in the process
• Skilled construction workers (private companies)
Physical resources
• The basic physical infrastructure was the building itself.
What to do…
- Ensure a participatory process engaging local associations and citizens.
- Seek additional expert input – especially from creatives such as artists.
- Each participatory process will be different and it must be adapted to the local reality.
- Seek opportunities for public-private investment.
- Seek ways to start using parts of the building as early as possible, even whilst other parts are still being rehabilitated.
and not to do
- Do not rehabilitate a space without defining a possible use for it and not knowing the concerns of the citizens.
- Do not copy the exact use from a different location, but develop a use that aims to meet the specific needs of your village.
- Do not seek one ‘perfect’ single use for the building, but develop multiple ideas in parallel which can each bring a contribution.
