Adaptive Reuse and the Future of Arts Spaces Presented as part of Therme Forum: Theatre and Architecture — an ongoing dialogue between FITS and Therme Group, on the symbiotic relationship between the performing arts and the built environment.
The panel examines transformation unfolding across the world, as abandoned factories, armories, and forgotten industrial structures are reborn as vibrant centers for the performing arts. It brings together the architects, directors, and administrators behind some of these transformations to examine both the making and the sustaining of such spaces — the full arc, from the first architectural gamble to the daily work of remaining relevant.
The conversation opens with the transformation itself: the vision, the patrimony, and the business of reinvention — how to fund these ambitious projects and how to balance the preservation of industrial heritage against the demands of contemporary performance. It then turns to what happens after the ribbon-cutting, when a renovated landmark must become a living institution: building local audiences, forging civic identity, weighing prestige against access, and securing long-term cultural and financial sustainability.
Drawing on experience from New York to Sibiu, Budapest, Bucharest, and Paris, the panel offers a candid, practical portrait of how yesterday's industrial ruins become tomorrow's cultural landmarks — and of what it truly takes to keep them alive once the spotlight of the opening has faded. Adam Flatto · President, Park Avenue Armory, New York (USA)
Anka Józsa · CEO, Eiffel Art Studios, Budapest (HUN)
Constantin Chiriac · President, FITS; Founder, Fabrica de Cultură, Sibiu (ROU)
Raffaella Benanti · Artistic Advisor and Project Manager for circus, street arts and puppetry at Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris (FRA)
Robert Hanea · CEO, Therme Group, Bucharest (ROU)
Moderator — Octavian Saiu · Cultural Theorist and Professor (ROU)
Event in English, with translation into Romanian Duration: 1h 30min
