Workshops and Culture House in Vienna with craft workshops for wood, ceramics, metal, leather, book and bicycle
WUK Verein zur Schaffung offener Kultur- und Werkstättenhäuser
1090 Vienna (Währinger Straße 59) · 1020 Vienna · 1030 Vienna · 1050 Vienna · 1080 Vienna · 1100 Vienna · 1110 Vienna · 1120 Vienna · 1210 Vienna · 2230 Gänserndorf · 2291 LasseeNew on Amplifa
About WUK
The WUK – Workshops and Culture House at Währinger Straße 59 in Vienna-Alsergrund is a socio-cultural operation covering 12,000 m² in a listed building erected in 1855 as a locomotive and machine factory. Founded in 1979, the association runs a four-pillar cultural programme, provides space for around 150 autonomously organised groups and is the sponsor of labour-market-oriented education and counselling facilities. In the workshops area (WSB), around 2,000 m² accommodate twelve workshops, six studios and three guest studios for craft and artistic production: Bicycle.Self-Help.Workshop, Ceramics Workshop, Workshop for Wood and Design, Open Workshop for Leather and Design, Product Design (metal fabrications), Workshop for Book and Paper as well as a photo lab, textile workshop and plastic recycling (Precious Plastic Vienna). Materials processed include wood products such as solid wood, coated panels and plywood/multiplex, ceramics and porcelain, leather and textiles, metal as well as paper and cardboard. The workshops area is not commercially oriented; the Workshop for Wood and Design is explicitly not available for commercial orders. In addition to the main location, WUK Education and Counselling operates twelve further locations in Vienna and in the Marchfeld region, where more than 5,000 people are supported annually in entering the labour market.
- Site
- Wien
- Processes
- Bicycle repair, assembly, special constructions, Ceramics (design and art with ceramics), Joinery, sculpture, instrument making, wood processing, Leather and textile processing, shoemaking, repair, Metal fabrications (design and metalworking), Bookbinding, paper processing, Plastic recycling, Textile processing
- Materials
- Solid wood, Coated panel, Plywood/Multiplex, Ceramics, Porcelain, Leather, Walkloden (boiled wool), Metal
- Founded
- 1979
- Industries
- Socio-culture / cultural and events sector, Education and counselling (labour market promotion), Craft / workshops
Materials and Processes
Solid wood
Used in the Workshop for Wood and Design for joinery, sculpture and one-of-a-kind pieces.
Coated panel
Panel material for furniture and design projects of the wood workshop.
Plywood/Multiplex
Panel material for craft and artistic projects in the wood workshop.
Ceramics
Base material of the Open Ceramics Workshop for design and art.
Porcelain
Ceramic material for artistic works in the ceramics workshop.
Leather
Material of the Open Workshop for Leather and Design for shoemaking, repair and design.
Walkloden (boiled wool)
Textile material for fashion and upcycling projects in the leather workshop.
Metal
Material of the Product Design workshop for fabrications in the fields of interior architecture, art and design.
Paper and cardboard
Materials of the Workshop for Book and Paper for bookbinding and artists' books.
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bicycle repair, assembly, special constructionsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Steel, Aluminium |
| Ceramics (design and art with ceramics)Ceramics | – | – | – | – | Ceramics, Porcelain |
| Joinery, sculpture, instrument making, wood processingAssembly | – | – | – | – | Solid wood, Coated panel, Plywood/Multiplex |
| Leather and textile processing, shoemaking, repairAssembly | – | – | – | – | Leather, Textile, Walkloden (boiled wool) |
| Metal fabrications (design and metalworking)Machining | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Bookbinding, paper processingAssembly | – | – | – | – | Paper, Cardboard |
| Plastic recyclingPlastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic |
| Textile processingAssembly | – | – | – | – | Textile |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book press | – | – | – | – | Workshop for Book and Paper, WUK Vienna |
| Cover cutter | – | – | – | – | Workshop for Book and Paper, WUK Vienna |
| Stack cutter | – | – | – | – | Workshop for Book and Paper, WUK Vienna |
| Embossing machine | – | – | – | – | Workshop for Book and Paper, WUK Vienna |
Additional services
History
- 1855
Construction of a locomotive and machine factory by Georg Sigl in Vienna-Alsergrund
- 1884
Move-in of the Technological Trade Museum (TGM), technical vocational school
- 1905
The training facility is taken over by the federal government
- 1978
Initiative "Save the TGM" for an autonomous cultural operation
- 1979
Foundation of the Association for the Creation of Open Culture and Workshop Houses (WUK)
- 1981
Peaceful takeover of the building, opening celebration on 3 October, first substantial subsidy
- 2019
Revival of the LumenX photo lab; Precious Plastic Vienna at WUK
- 2021
Planned conversion of the workshops area into an association; start of refurbishment
- 2026
45 years of WUK