Craft campuses: flexible spaces as a response to Luxembourg’s commercial space shortage

At the north-western tip of Mersch, right next to the A7 motorway exit "Mierscherbierg", it should have taken shape long ago: the flagship project of the future "Zone d'activités économiques régionale Mierscherdall" (Zamid, see map)

A large building will one day house up to ten or twelve craft businesses. The idea behind it: Just like in a modern shopping centre, customers will later be able to walk straight from the car park next door into the salerooms of a joinery or a tiling company. And perhaps, while they're at it, also stop by a painting company. All kinds of construction trades would be brought together in one place.

The Zamid campus can be categorised under the concept of "Handwerkerhöfe" (craft campuses). If only because this term is nowhere clearly defined. A look abroad shows: If the aim is always to promote craft activities, scale, operating model and objectives can vary considerably. In Germany, there are examples of more tourist-oriented campuses with small shops. In France, there are the co-operative "Make ICI" manufactories, and in the Belgian "microfactories", craftspeople have access to machines and equipment based on the model of fab labs (fabrication laboratories or makerspaces).