In its vision for regenerating the eastern districts of Stavanger, the municipality designated the listed Tou Brewery and its surrounds as a cultural arena. The brewery had stood vacant for 20 years when H&H and a group of artists spontaneously began using some of its surrounds in the early 1990s. It was the start of a five-year process aiming to transform the old brewery into a signature rehabilitated cultural centre.

H&H first developed overall strategies for a heterogenic, ‘open-source’ development. Core logistical targets were identified, such as setting up a café with a new rooftop terrace in the center section, between the two main stages. All potential
independent localities with separate access were mapped to allow a multiplicity of uses, and a public route through the most interesting parts of this rare complex was identified.

After three years of planning, construction could begin. A shoestring budget meant meeting the requirements for an operating licence and nothing more. This boiled down to the removal of obsolete elements and installation of the required new infrastructure, such as ventilation, plumbing and new internal logistics. The distinct spatial repertoire for beer production was taken as a starting point for developing the new brief, thus leaving the most significant attributes of the structure intact.