FABER is an independent cultural center founded by a group of Timișoara-based entrepreneurs from the fields of architecture, IT, and the socio-cultural sector. Their belief in Timișoara’s potential and their desire to contribute to the strengthening of the city's creative industry brought them together in 2017, when they decided to purchase an industrial hall within the AZUR complex and transform it into the FABER building.
Metrics
1
bistro
1
coworking space
1
multifunctional space
3
meeting rooms
3
outdoor spaces for events
3
exhibition halls
+ 1.2K
hosted events
+ 300K
visitors
Originea numelui FABER
The name Faber has its origins in the philosophical concept of "Homo Faber" – human as creator – an idea proposed by Hannah Arendt and Max Scheler, which describes the human being capable of changing their environment through the use of tools. FABER is the place where any talent with a dream or a plan can find the infrastructure, the way of working, and the community to help them develop what they have imagined. A place of inspiration and doing.
The FABER story
A few months after Timișoara won the title of European Capital of Culture, the collective that invested in FABER was formed, animated by the hope of a bright future for the city's creative sector.
FABER was born at the initiative of the architects from FOR, who invited Val and Cristina Mureșan to search for and rehabilitate a historical building in Timișoara together, in order to transform it into a creative space. The group met with Andreea and Norbert Tako around the building on Peneș Curcanul street and decided to invest together.
At the beginning of 2018, the property was purchased, and the rehabilitation process began. In parallel, the group of investors started negotiating the format and content of FABER.
Building refurbishment
Between 2018 and 2020, the design, permitting, and rehabilitation process of the building took place, coordinated by the FOR architecture team.
The first stage was the decontamination of the site and the closure of industrial activities, and starting in 2019, the rehabilitation of the building began, which was completed in October 2020.
Development of the operational model
In parallel with the rehabilitation process, the group of investors created the operational model for FABER—content lines, types of products, and the roles of partners and the executive team.
Adrian Erimescu joins the project.
The structural rehabilitation of the building proved to be much more expensive than initially estimated, and in order to continue the project, Adrian Erimescu joined the group of founders.
The Ambasada bistro reopened in mid-July 2020, on the ground floor of the FABER building.
ambasada began its story in 2015, in a space within the former hat factory, Paltim, which was demolished in 2019.
In August 2020, FABER began its cultural activity with a concert by the band BYRON.
In the first years, FABER was coordinated by Cristina Potra-Mureșan together with Bogdan Cotîrță-Gruicin, and since 2023, by Oana Simionescu.
In October, the F O R space opens, featuring a coworking area, a makerspace, and architecture and design studios—a space for collaboration and creativity, imagined and nurtured by a team of young architects.
In 2022, we began our collaboration with two curators to develop the cultural program.
Florin Unguraș was responsible for conceiving and implementing the music program at FABER between 2022 and 2024.
Martina Muzi curates the Design Signals program—which began as Bright Cityscapes in 2023, in partnership with the Politehnica University of Timișoara—and it has evolved over the following years into a program that connects the industrial world with contemporary design.
The partnership with our neighbors at AZUR began back in 2019, when we developed a series of products specifically designed for the FABER building together with the AZUR team. Since then, like good neighbors, we have been making plans together.
In 2023, the first results of our collaboration became visible, with the redevelopment of the former resin halls and the courtyard of the Peneș Curcanul site—a project realized using AZUR's resources, under the coordination of the FOR team.
Recognition
The architectural qualities of the FABER space received international recognition shortly after its inauguration. As part of the 2020 New European Bauhaus awards, the FABER building was among the three European finalists in the "Buildings renovated in a spirit of circularity" category. That same year, the building's architects—the FOR team—were nominated for the prestigious European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, the Mies van der Rohe Award. In 2022, the same team was awarded at the BETA Architecture Biennale.
FABER team
Valentina Ciobanu
Manager Design Signals
Cristina Ion
Manager Assistant
Martina Muzi
Curator Design Signals
Cristina Potra-Mureșan
Financial Supervisor
Oana Simionescu
Director
Zalán Szakáli
Communication and PR Manager
Alina Sfetcu
Community Manager
Alex Todirică
Content Creator
Valentin Mureșan
Cristina Potra-Mureșan
Adrian Erimescu
F O R
Centrul Cultural Plai
Edelina Balint
Diana Caducenco
Bogdan Cotîrță-Gruicin
Roxana Damian
Nicușor Duma
Karola Kalapati
Octavian Mariuțiu
Mihai Moldovan
Lucian Stroia
Florin Unguraș