Manufacturing goes Urban: Re-thinking ‘making’ in the context of the changing industrial landscape of Tampere

This thesis investigates a new urbanized form of manufacturing as a response to de-industrialization. The pro- posed urban manufacturing hub typology is enabled with down-scaling and diversification of ‘making’ spaces. It offers sustainable development of a post-industrial area with a maintained place identity and contributes to a variety of local economies and an engaged society. Ultimately, in the thesis proposal ́making ́ is the link between the past and the present of industrial heritage, as well as between citizens and emerging creative communities. The work started with a search for the way in which ‘making’ could be presented in cities, the thesis has result- ed in a formulation of an urban manufacturing concept and a transformation proposal for the 20th century machine halls of Lokomo factory in a changing district of Tampere, the Finnish city known for its manufacturing heritage. The proposal suggests re-industrialization of the large-scale factory to small-scale ́factories ́ run by individual ́makers ́. The suggested typology, the urban manufacturing hub, is seen as a form able to set synergetic relationships between the city and ‘making’ activities. The idea of the localisation of production in a city is explained by a shift from factory production to distributed ́home-based ́ manufacturing, ranging from crafts to more recent 3D printing technologies. Down-scaling ‘making’ would, indeed, allow manufacturing to be kept in the city. But more importantly, it means democratisation of making activities with more affordable tools for citizens offering expression by creating or changing physical objects and their environment. Finding this aspect, the key in urban manufacturing, the study cases with active engagement of citizens in making and with makers includes Fiskars village (FI), Godsbanen (DK), Granby workshop (UK) and Ishinomaki Lab (JP.) These cases are important not necessarily for their novelty in production, but for the impact on the existing envi- ronment through ‘making’. Thus, the idea of community- and place-making ability of urban manufacturing has been realised through the factory transformation, and the author’s search for architectural solutions to create breeding grounds for small-scale making and turn ́making ́ to a central communal activity. The project of the urban manufacturing hub is targeted to encourage and support individual makers and to attract local community to the creation process