This practice enables the temporary use of centrally located office space that had been standing empty for years. It is designed to revitalise the old town centre and promote Celje as an attractive tourist destination, while providing the local community, NGOs, arts groups and others with a space for public performances. 

By allowing people to use the GT8 venue on a temporary basis, while paying only minimum costs, the city's policy encourages original, high-quality productions by local artists. It facilitates the presentation of projects to support the promotion of Celje, and increases the accessibility of cultural goods to a wide audience. It also promotes creative actions in other fields, such as entrepreneurship, education, youth, charity and intergenerational cooperation. 

The temporary use of the Glavni trg 8 venue, known as GT8, fully complies with the basic orientations of two new strategic documents of the Municipality of Celje. The Tourism Development Strategy 2024-2029 is based on a relaxed coexistence of locals and visitors and identifies tourism in its various forms as one of the main drivers of the city’s economic development. Celje’s inhabitants and visitors are also at the heart of the Cultural Development Strategy 2024-2027, which aims to make Celje an open cultural space based on heritage, creativity and community. 

With the temporary use of a commercial space owned by the municipality, an otherwise empty, closed venue has become a gathering place. It is a new space for creativity and dialogue between different interest groups, such as associations, designers, institutions, dance groups and artists, and members of the public ranging from young people to lovers of the arts. 

After a test period of temporary use in late 2023, when the venue hosted six events of varying content and format, GT8’s use was continued in 2024, following a public call for applications. 

In the first 6 months, 20 projects enriched the cultural ecosystem of the city, including 4 theatre performances, 4 workshops, 5 debates, 5 pop-up events and 12 events in the framework of the first Design Days Celje.  

Due to the need for greater visibility of the space and its contents, a visual identity was designed, and basic renovation of the space is underway. 

This practice addresses social, economic and environmental aspects through horizontal integration.  

Environmental: GT8 supports the basic maintenance of a previously unused space, preventing its deterioration. It highlights key environmental challenges through public debates on environmental conservation and cultural heritage, and presentations of sustainable practices, while promoting practices that reduce carbon emissions, such as zero-waste events. 

Economic: The practice has a positive impact on the economic sector through local participation and the use of space for creative projects. At the same time, GT8’s revitalisation has positive effects on the area’s wider economy, including local restaurants and shops. 

Social: The practice has a particularly strong focus on social inclusion and community involvement. The participatory principle of space use is a democratic response to the needs of the community, its different groups and their creative potential. It reduces disparities in public engagement between different groups and promotes accessibility to culture. 

The practice presents a framework for addressing the challenges of urban development through different perspectives and offers solutions for the city’s resilient and inclusive future. 

A participatory approach has been pursued throughout the implementation of this project to revitalise GT8 and the surrounding area. For example, the call for applications is publicly announced, criteria for allowing temporary use are broad, and applicants are free to choose the date and format of presentations.  

Artistic and creative freedom are not restricted in terms of content, and the Celeia Celje Institute for Cultural Events and Tourism assists stakeholders in the implementation and promotion of individual events.  

GT8 is used by various stakeholders, including local artists, young creatives, primary and secondary schools, associations, NGOs, sports clubs, independent entrepreneurs and public institutions. They prepare individual or group projects and also invite the professional public to participate – such as architects, professors, and employees of public institutions – as well as other local stakeholders. Through multidimensional projects, varied in content and format, they establish and strengthen relationships, respect for diversity, and strengthen their own and their visitors' competences. All in all, this helps make the GT8 venue an attractive place to visit.  

This participatory approach strengthens people’s sense of belonging to the local community, boosting further contribution and participation in local policy-making, challenge-identification and problem solving. 

As part of its city marketing efforts, the Celeia Celje Institute for Cultural Events and Tourism is responsible for filling empty spaces in the Old Town. After several years of Glavni trg 8 standing empty, the owners, the Municipality of Celje, handed over the management of the office space to the public institute in September 2023.  

From mid-October to the end of 2023, the revitalised space hosted six events with a wide variety of themes. Each of the events temporarily occupied the space for a week, with around 1000 visitors attending all of them. The temporary use of the space continues in 2024.  

Launching a public call for the temporary use of this multifunctional space has stimulated the implementation of creative projects in various fields, increased the accessibility of public cultural assets to different target audiences, enabled the presentation of artistic and other projects and, in general, helped increase the utilitarian, social, economic and cultural value of the space and its surroundings. 

GT8 has been given its own visual identity, created by graphic designer Neža Penca. Renovation work is also underway, including the refurbishment of the walls, the creation of an ancillary space, and the purchase of basic equipment for activities taking place there. 

Celje has gone on to hold a pop-up event in a second, privately-owned empty venue. During the December festive season, the owner temporarily gave the space to the Biscuit Shop, where children and young people gathered to practice baking festive treats. The space also hosted a Pop Up Spring Brunch and served as a venue for part of a local arts festival. 

This model for temporary space use can be transferred to other European cities struggling to revitalise their old centres. It is adaptable to specific urban contexts, including the needs of local business, creative and public sectors, and the local population. 

The approach reflects various aspects of sustainable development relevant to local urban policies, most notably Sustainable Development Goal 11 with its focus on inclusive and sustainable urbanisation, protection of heritage, and access to safe and inclusive green and public spaces. 

The practice also aligns with the EU Territorial Agenda and the Urban Agenda for the EU, in particular Better Knowledge, improving knowledge on urban issues and sharing best practices, a step towards creating more vibrant and sustainable urban environments.  

Slovenian national legislation does not allow temporary use of space for local authorities to be completely free of charge. At least the minimum cost of use must be charged, except for projects and events carried out by humanitarian organisations of national importance. The daily use of GT8’s entire 146 m2 is charged at EUR 25 net. Despite this factor, the practice can be transferred simply to other urban environments. 

Cities adopting the practice will need to identify empty premises in their urban centres, and establish their ownership, and the willingness of the owners – whether local authorities or the private sector – to offer the spaces for temporary use. It is also necessary to detect key needs in the local community, and contact potential users and invite them to participate, as well as defining protocols for temporary use.