From 'Instant City' to a local think, do and share space for the neighbourhood
Co-Habitation in the countryside
Housing devellopment in Puurs
Weekend House
A house in the hills, a sanctuary for a couple
Coffee bar Arenberg
Coffee bar constructed out of reused and reporpused elements
Office Space
Office for an architect and a Kindergarten teacher
Giftshop
More than just a door....
Plusminus
Prototype modular furniture concept
In+Tense
a tension-based modular furniture system Church Chair Project conceptual Art/Design furniture
Reflection-Pond
Bospoel, Reviving the old castle pond
Running Loops
Urban interventions in public space
IKS-Right?
Celebrating Benidorm through modifiable temporary placemaking strategies.
Youth Space for the Future - Nieuwland - Gent, Belgium
structure
a selection of three projects relating to subjects as urban planning, architecture, housing and construction
Axonometric drawing of a wintergarden - cohabitation
Nieuwland
Ghent is in 2024, the Youth Capital of Europe (EYC). This will manifest itself in an exciting year of festivities during which various activities will be organised in the city. As their base of operations, they have chosen to transform the old industrial building on Nieuwland in the wijk SluizekenTolhuis-Ham district into their temporary headquarters. This neighbourhood is Ghent's most densely populated and diverse districts. Not everyone is happy with this choice. Indeed, a lot is changing in the neighbourhood. New project development is putting a lot of social and economic pressure on the remaining public space d that is displacing young people and current residents
How can developing youth space on Nieuwland function as a socially rooted and neighbourhood-oriented alternative to planned traditional property development?
This thesis sets out the nine ambitions for Nieuwland within EYC's three lines of force: emancipation, nurturing and engagement. Each theme has one neighbourhood ambition and two for young people. Nieuwland forms a white space, a toolbox and aims to be a neighbourhood platform and a neighbourhood gathering place. Nieuwland is a safezone that is wide open to welcome and care for the neighbourhood and its young people Nieuwland takes action, thinks forward and wants to cooperate with its neighbours and wants to be a teamplayer
Nieuwland, from Instant City local do, think and share place.
A long-term vision sets out a four-part roadmap to begin transforming Nieuwland.
- Reveal and develop green interstitial spaces
- Squares form whitespace: Do-, Think; en Share-squares.
- Custering workspace (Lokalen) around these squares
- Central in the hart of the site, the Nieuwland community takes shape
A short-term bottom-up scenario forms low-threshold participatory working forms of the long term vision
- Opening the site and tile-swiping do transform the space.
- Huidevetter Kiosk forms a neighbourhood gathering place
-Camping Nieuwland introduces permanence in the buidling
A collage of the The European Youth Capital's airship as 'Instant City' lands on Newland.
Below left the existing condition with roof, on the right the proposed future scenario without roof. City to a place.
depave and develop green interstitial spaces
Squares form whitespace
A simplified visual representation of on-site activities (numbers relate to renders on next page (1)
Share-sqsuare
Do-square
Think-square
Custering workspace (Lokalen) around squares
Centralised Nieuwland community
Share-square (1)
Collage outdoor space in front of Think-square (2)
Co-Habitation in the Countryside
a visualisation of the communal garden of the project
a view axonometric view of the design
2,7192,7117 2,271,09
1,161,201,601,201,84
Weekend house
The design of this vacation house started by analysing the topography of the plot of land that was bought by the client. The client wanted to do most of the constrution himself so the design had to be simple, yet elegant.
We chose for big windows looking over the landscape, pulling nature into the interior space. Overlooking the landscape, this would be their house in the Walloon hiils, a sanctuary where the couple would find their peace.
Instead of building on top of the hill, we decided to have on floor on top of the landscape and the other one insisde the hill. The rooftop would make the
A house in the hills, a sanctuary for a couple
sideview during construction
terrain section
Durbuy, Luxembourg project Ongoing
2,80 80 detail ceiling height-window
30
space
a selection of three projects relating to subjects as Interior design & construction, made-to-meassure furniture, space making opportunities.
Coffee Bar - Arenberg Building - Brussels
Giftshop - Graffitistreet - Gent
Coffee Bar
During my internship at GRiNT we entered a competion to design a coffeebar for the Arenberg government building in Brussels. The objective for this competition was to design a bar, a reception desk would fit in the entrance hall of th building.
The bar should function as a comunal space in which gouverment employees can get their coffee, lunch and more. the whole installation is made in such a way that it is completely demountable (which was one of the requirements of the competition.
The design is based on the painting 'Architecture au claire de Lune' by Réne Magritte. It's a magnificent artpiece in which the painter uses architectural elements under a central placed, soft light source. We translated these elements into an installation that featured different layers, textures and graphic elements. These were for us the key elements that we used in our final design.
We found ourselves leaning more towards reusing a earlier created structure that the company used for Interieur Kortijk and reusing the curved wood plywood panels that we found on the ROTOR DC website.
sideview of the coffee
sideview of the coffee bar
Architecture au Clairede de Lune Réne Magritte
Reuse & repurposed (GRINT)
Arenberg building, Brussels project finished
coffee bar
sideview of the coffee bar
Giftshop
Giftshop is a meeting place in the heart of the city. Giftshop is a platform for young artists, creatives and travellers. Giftshop is a visitors' desk that shares honestly about the city of Ghent.|
They spent two years brooding over their ideas. But with the arrival of two doors towards the famous graffiti street, this idea is finally becoming reality.
In order to make their meeting place, information desk, studio activities and events possible in the future, Giftshop asked us to design a door that opens onto the adjacent street. In addition to the much-needed opening, this door also forms a canvas for the graffiti artists in the street
25 tot 50cm hoogteverschil: maximaal 6,25%, De maximale lengte van de helling is dan 8m meer dan 50cm hoogteverschil: maximaal 5%, De maximale lengte van de helling is dan 10 m
25 tot 50cm hoogteverschil: maximaal 6,25%,
De maximale lengte van de helling is dan 8m
meer dan 50cm hoogteverschil: maximaal 5%,
De maximale lengte van de helling is dan 10 m
Opmerking: pas uitgezaagd stuk muur? breedte nieuwe deur?
Opmerking: pas uitgezaagd stuk muur? breedte nieuwe deur?
opmerking: Deurblad zo egaal mogelijk. groter oppervlakte om op te spuiten. Bescherming niet nodig.
Office for an architect and a Kindergarten teacher
exploded axonometric view of the sliding cabinet
The plus-minus system in a cabinet configuration
Objects
a selection of three projects relating to subjects as Interior furniture design furniture systems & prototypes.
In+tense detail of htree moducles together
plusminus
a modular furniture system, an Interior table and stool
Plusminus is a cabinet, a stool and a table. It is a collection of functions in a modular system. It is actually a synthesised compromise between functions. The name of this furniture system also immediately outlines the assembling technique of this modular system. With the plus-signs you build the volumes vertically on top of each other and with the shelves (or minus-signs) you divide the volumes a horizontal way. The signs along the sides are actually there so that you could fix the shelves. The fastening technique would be done with an included key that would also take the form of a plus-sign. A storage cabinet, a table and a seating unit are among the most common pieces of furniture in a living space and are thus also possible with this system.
Plusminus is the result of research on multifunctional modular systems that could be an additional addition in the average household. In addition, this system also has potential in office landscapes, shop fittings and educational spaces. This furniture is more than a product in itself, as it also contains architectural and interior design features. It's an interior design system that can be infinitely expanded, which is why this concept is only a starting point. With this, I am also thinking further into the future and this system can continue to grow.
A cabinet combination of the plus-minus system
Interior element but also a cabinet,
modular typology
Prototype commercial furniture design
In+Tense
In+Tense is an architectural project on a furniture scale. By using archetypal structural elements such as cross bracing, structural force is brought to the individual module. The off-center column connects and creates an assemblage of modules stacked on top of another. This system targets the bare essence of a flatpack storage shelving. Four panels tied together with rope.
In+Tense is a tension-based modular furniture system that finds its origin in the 'Open Structures' grid. A universal system that is an open source modular construction model based on a shared geometrical grid, called the OS grid.
This makes it an ideal furniture system that can be assembled and disassembled by any user. The system targets the bare essence of a flatpack cabinet. Four panels held together by two pieces of string. Stacked on top of each other they form an artificial tree-like structure that stands on itself. The off-center wooden column brings movement to the design itself.
modular typology
Prototype commercial modular furniture
a possible ensemble of building blocks a detail of the emsemble together
Church Chair
In Belgium and other countries around the world a lot of parishes feel compelled to get rid of the church interiors and chairs because they are out of date. There are numerous interesting examples of how you can redesign and reuse empty churches. With the Church Chairs concept, I tried to approach this in the same way; I took apart old church chairs, rearranged them and I made something new and more contemporary out of it.
The outcome of this are two pieces of furniture: the Church Stool and the Church Bench. During my internship at ONBETAALBAAR I got the chance to develop my first prototypes. This formed the base on which I made these pieces. Together with De Zetel (the original manufacturer, I have been able to finish the furniture with a contemporary textile and comfortable seat.
Church chairs stacked away in the backroom of the parish house in Sint-Gillis-Waas
Reuse & repurposed
Conceptual
Church Stool and Church Bench
People
a selection of three projects relating to subjects as participartory design, co-creation and tactile urbanism projects.
Neighbourhood Meeting - bospoel - Gent
Pull-up Bar - Running Loops - Byblos, Lebanon
Celebration 1 - Iks-right? - Benidorm, Spain
Castle Pond
A concerned group of citizens proposed an idea for the 'Neighbourhood-buget' a participatory citizens initiative platform that wants to generate creative concepts that can be beneficial for the inhabitants of Ghent. This proposal brings some good ideas to the table. I see this as a starting point for my intervention.
The 'quick win' in the intervention is the ecology issue be tackled first. Improving the water quality by planting the right vegetation so this pond becomes a healthier body of water is a must. Digging out the pond could give this vegetation the optimal space to grow. This action will diversify the fauna and flora even more.
The positioning of the LDC into the Meulenstede park feels like it is shunning the pond. By implementing juxtaposing interventions, the relation between them will define this space more and like a whole. Perpendicular on this axis, interventions will define the pond area more and form thresholds that 'close off' the pond from the universe that surrounds it.
The Reflection pond timeline
1. Digging out the pond
2. Replanting vegetation
6.Approaching the pond
7.Implementation
4.Repaving footpaths
5.Implementing infrastructure
3.Connecting to surrounding roofs
7.Implementation pavilion
8.Establishing connection with LDC
The Bospoel timeline
Afterwards showing the design to the concerned neighbours, they were quite happy with the proposal that was made. Some elements of the design fitted well, like the approach to the pond. And others didnt; like the implementation of the pavilion. After some Creating sight lines, thinning out current crops
Approaching the forest pool (temporary implementation)
Personalizing the forest pool (by means of nature education)
Implementation of places to stay/sitting infrastructure (permanent implementation)
Expansion of Bospoel
Construction of a board walk
One of three nature education installations around the pond
The first of many neighborhood consultation sessions next to the LDC
Another of the neighborhood consultation sessions next to the LDC
Running Loops
Public spaces are hard to find all over Lebanon. Out of historical reasons, the Lebanese don't have a feeling for shared public spaces anymore. In addition to that, the government is not interested in improving this issue. First NGO's, founded by citizens, started trying to intervene, call attention to the lack of public spaces and bringing people together. Nonetheless, the support of the government is very limited.
Local pine wood, surrounding waste materials such as car tires and ropes were reused and upcycled in this project. Thus, the project reduced waste from the coast and is less pricey for the MEDSworkshop at the same time. After installing each project, the people immediately started using the constructions and thanked the team for their work and effort. Moreover, the team even got directly help by people passing by which shows how much each improvement of public spaces is welcomed and appreciated. This direct feedback helped to keep the motivation upright and even elaborate on some designs and constructions. This involved the testing of each object, from which one of the stations could be redesigned and fixed right away.
iks-right?
Introducing Politcs of Rituals
Celebrating the human-built environment through modifiable temporary placemaking strategies.
For us, celebrations play a profound role in placemaking strategies, serving as methodology for community engagement. With these celebrations we want to encourage cultural expression, and social cohesion in the chosen territory.. We want to utilise the idea of transforming ordinary urban spaces into inclusive environments that reflect the unique identity that is the city of Benidorm. Celebrations provide an opportunity to breathe a different kind of life into these spaces, but also in the bodies that inhabit them.
The workshop wants to introduce alternative vision in celebrating the city. In our approach, rituals serve as the cornerstone of transforming public space. By integrating rituals into the urban built environment, communities can utilise the power of collective experiences and exchange a sense of belonging and pride.
Celebrating Benidorm through placemaking strategies.
Urban temporary interventions
Public space co-tutor with Isil Yucel
iks-right?
Our modifiable strategies will try to activate public spaces,, and celebrate the diverse cultural tapestry of each chosen location in the city of Benidorm. We want to root locally in the urban fabric of Benidorm so that our approach could resonate globally. (1)
Through ‘Politics of Rituals,‘ we reimagine placemaking as a fluid and participatory process, where temporary interventions become transformative tools for shaping the urban landscape and enriching the human experience like the concepts like the Instant City did before us. (2)
We believe in the power of celebration as a catalyst for change. By turning mundane actions into festive rituals, we create opportunities for connection, creativity, and collective joy.
Florian is a creative thinker who seamlessly blends disciplines through a bottom-up approach. He specializes in design and research, focusing on collaboration and co-creation - working with people rather than for them. While he primarily designs and researches, his hands-on projects are always thoroughly developed and blur the boundaries between diciplines His work spans scales, from urban and architectural concepts to interiors, furniture, and objects. This translates into spaces, structures, objects and/or projects with people going from an urban or architectural scale all the way to interiors, furniture and/or objects.
