Stadsatelier de Ville
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
“Stadsatelier de Ville” around circular construction, where workshops, prototyping, lectures and research are organized.
The “Stadsatelier de Ville” is a hybrid meeting spot where students, contractors, architects and policy makers learn to build a circular future together.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
As a spin-off of BC architects & studies, BC materials works a lot to raise awareness. Project-based workshops on circular and biobased construction have been organized under the latter heading since 2012: dozens of workshops of 1, 2, 5 or 10 days together received more than 1000 participants: children, citizens, architects, contractors, students, self-builders, material producers from more than 35 countries.
The cooperative start-up BC materials has also been a functional company since 2018; it converts land from city yards into circular building materials, and is currently the first and only operational material producer in Europe. Today BC materials already has a production site of 1000 m2 in the heart of Brussels, with machines and tools.
As a true pioneer, BC materials still does a lot of sensitization. BC materials now wants to perpetuate these previously project-based sensitization activities and transform them into continuous operation. BC materials thus draws up a "menu" for offering workshops within the Stadsatelier de ville. These workshops go from introduction to prototyping to technical implementation.
“Stadsatelier de Ville” is a hybrid meeting spot where students, contractors, architects and governance actors learn to build a circular future together. It is a venue where workshops, prototyping, lectures and research on earth construction and circular building takes place.
“Stadsatelier de Ville offers” a ‘menu’ of workshops, from introduction to prototyping to technical execution. These workshops concern applications of earth building in the first placed, but we actively search a symbiosis with other circular, bio-sourced materials
Key objectives for sustainability
The “Stadsatelier de Ville” project has the short-term goal of bringing about change in the current building culture, from linear to circular. The workshops suggest alternative (circular) options for the current way of building, stimulating participants to make different choices.
These insights and choices will have an impact in the long term when these alternative (circular) options are described by architects in their specifications, when contractors dare to propose these circular techniques, etc. will have lasting effects on the restoration of natural resources and the reduction of waste.
Construction requires the extraction of soil as a first step. This is difficult to store and polluting to transport. Belgium excavates about 37 million tons per year from yards and 70% of this is thrown away as waste. By using soil from site excavations in construction, fewer "new" natural resources are tapped. Even after the life cycle of the building, there is no waste (earth remains earth) and can be reused indefinitely without loss of quality..
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Stadsatelier de Ville has a positive impact on 8 SDG's (good health, economic growth, industry & innovation, sustainable cities, responsible production, climate action, life on land & partnerships) and inscribes within the EU Green The workshops and lectures teach how to work and build with earth, dealing by reducing as much embodied carbon of building materials as possible.
Key objectives for inclusion
In order to introduce a new way of building, many partners have to join in: contractors, builders, architects, governments, ... Helped by the urgency surrounding climate change and the importance of the Green Deal, BC materials is fully committed to showing solutions, create capacity around design and execution, and develop a long-term vision on the ecological impact of a construction project. We not only create circular materials, but also raise awareness: towards curious architects, enthusiastic contractors and conscious builders. We stimulate and contribute to the changing zeitgeist. With “Stadsatelier de Ville” we cooperate to apply such systemic change within our current society.
BC materials is the only operational company in the European Union that makes circular construction materials with earthmoving, helping architects, contractors and builders to reduce waste and the carbon footprint of projects. This makes us a pioneer for innovations in urban mining and circular economy in the construction sector.
We are currently participating in innovative research projects on circular construction such as Hemp Hemp Tetraproject Vlaio and CoCreate Innoviris, and a pre-normative study for clay construction materials with the BBRI. With “Stadsatelier de Ville” we form a bridge to bring the acquired know-how within our start-up and these research projects in an accessible way to the construction sector, and thus to wider society.
Results in relation to category
Our interactive workshop approach creates a direct perspective on a more circular construction sector for architecture and engineering students, and a strong opportunity for professionals and companies to learn in the innovative topics of circular construction. With “Stadsatelier de Ville” we can offer a continuous range of events and learning moments in order to become a real beacon for circular architecture, with this project call as a catalyst.
We are convinced that the best approach to learning about circular construction is to get started yourself. You do not learn circular construction based on theoretical principles, but you do learn by doing. You do not only create impact in the transformation of materials and building systems, but also - and above all - in people's perception and minds. By working with these materials yourself, you will succeed in cultivating tacit knowledge, provoking discussion and critical questions, and not only on a purely rational level, but also an emotional feeling with a certain idea or technique. That is why we have opted for a holistic approach to raising awareness with this workshop model; from experiment, design and detailing to implementation techniques, etc.
How Citizens benefit
Given that the entire construction and architecture world is facing a major revolution and the European council explicitly wants to make circular principles mandatory (55% in 2025, 60% in 2030 & 65% in 2035). A city workshop on circular construction can make professionals, students and organizations aware of these topics. This provides concrete benefits for the environment, economy and surroundings within Belgium, but it also strengthens Belgium's position and image as a sustainable architecture pioneer in Europe.
Innovative character
BC materials is the only company in the European Union currently transforming excavated land from yards into circular building materials. With “Stadsatelier de Ville” we want to place the initiatives that we are working on as a young start-up within the broader context of the circular economy and multiply them to a wider audience.
