In the week after Easter, The City of Aarhus, the administration for Citizens’ Services and Libraries, organises a three-day study tour to Vienna and Linz in Austria in connection with the planning of Mediaspace, which in the period 2009-2012 will be built at the urban harbour areas.

The study tour will provide inspiration for Mediaspace’s Strategy Group, which consists of representatives from The City of Aarhus’ Business Contact Committee and Aarhus University. The Strategy Group acts as adviser and inspiration for Alderman Flemming Knudsen and the participants who will be working to create content and inspiration for the Mediaspace process and who will launch an architectural competition in the autumn.

Themes of the study tour

• function and organisation of cultural centres with various players
• integration of library services with other activities – including specifically citizens’ services
• challenge and experience gathering from construction phases in large cultural buildings
• rethinking the library’s content and services, including the work with various target groups
• focus on ways to strengthen lifelong learning
• innovative use of new technology, interactivity between users and systems, user-friendliness
• exciting architectural solutions

The inspiration is to be used in the further process to prepare competition brief in connection with the project competition, which will be launched in the autumn of 2007, and for the subsequent contract tender.

An important outcome of the trip will be inspiration and learning from a range of similar projects and building processes. Based on this shared inspiration, as an added bonus, it will be possible for participants across the strategy group and central players in the Mediaspace process to exchange and develop ideas in relation to further work in Aarhus.

Visits during the trip

Vienna’s main library – Vienna had a new main library in 2003.
The library was built in the Gürtel neighbourhood as a stair construction above the underground station Burgasse-Stadthalle and is situated between two heavily trafficked three-lane roads in a somewhat worn down and socially disadvantaged neighbourhood. The library has created a new and very visible gathering point for the many immigrants of the neighbourhood as well as the inhabitants of Vienna in general.

Wissenturm, Linz – Wissenturm opens in September 2007. It will house Linz’ public library, a knowledge educational centre, a department of Citizens’ Services, and a bistro. Child care facilities are also planned for the building. The vision is to make the tower into a place of learning situated in a newly developed neighbourhood. Uniting people’s university and public library in one building provides a strong orientation towards an ‘autonomous’ form of learning through a unified dissemination of various media.

Ars Electronica, Linz (AEC) – AEC is a futuristic museum which moves in a tension field between art, technology and society. More than just a museum, AEC also houses a co-called future-lab and they hold an annual festival, where, among other things, the Ars Electronica award – Prixars – is presented.

The museum in AEC focuses on the future and offers suggestions as to how the information- and communication technology can change our everyday lives. It is possible to become acquainted with the future through a range of interactive installations/stations. The museum is presently undergoing a large expansion from 2,500 to 6,500 m2. The project was launched last year and is due to be finished in 2009 – the same year that Linz will be European Capital of Culture.

There will be 15 participants in the study tour including Alderman Flemming Knudsen. Other participants represent the Strategy Group, managers of the departments (including Citizens’ Services and IT and Communications) which are to be housed in the future Mediaspace, and key people from Culture and Citizens’ Service.

Network and inspiration from Denmark and abroad is prioritised in the development of the facilities of Mediaspace. The inspiration increases the quality of Mediaspace and will be a pro-active part of the dynamic story about the vision of Mediaspace.