It all begins with a team, a community, a site, and a loosely defined assignment—a blend of dreams, possibilities, expectations, and constraints. In this edition, we explore the opportunities to transform the Pastorie into an open house for the community, utilizing bioregional and harvested materials

The first challenge is to find and define yourselves as a team: identifying individual strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, aspirations, cultures, skills, and knowledge. What makes you complementary? Where do you establish common ground? How do you become a resilient, cohesive team that allows each member to thrive? Refining these answers is an ongoing process...

As you get to know your fellow students, you also begin connecting with the initiators, the municipality, local stakeholders, and the wider community. Together, you start to envision the Pastorie as a welcoming space for all the residents of Helchteren.

A manifesto serves as the initial expression of your collective ambitions and vision. It is a vital guiding document—a touchstone and benchmark—throughout the entire journey.
It also marks your first official commitment to the community.

more about the pastorie, the community and the chances

You build your foundations in 3 parallel and interconnected tracks, coordinated by the staff team, backed by academic knowledge and insights from practice: hands-on ateliers, material exploration and innovation, and a series of reflective sessions focused on long-term impact.

The hands-on ateliers are organised as a set of workshop days/mid weeks combined with site visits and lectures from practicioners. Apart from the development of new skills and insights, these ateliers are very important for the bonding of the group.

more about the hands-on ateliers

In the material exploration and innovation lab you dive deeper into local, bio-geobased, harvested materials and building techniques, develop your specific materials and techniques for the project and beyond, supported by the academic research teams and practicioners. 

You can choose a research topic according to your interests, skills and ambitions, but always in relation to the project and with the goal to contribute to its design and realisation. Here you work in small teams, helping and inspiring each other.

more about the material explorations lab

Throughout the journey, a series of  reflective sessions helps you to situate yourself, and your actions, in these times of global uncertainties and new, local challenges. Books, papers, online lectures and documentaries with insights from global thinkers, writers, philosophers, and more, will be the basis for discussions and brainstorms.

more about the reflective sessions

This learning journey comes with unique chances and responsibilities … to actively contribute to the community. Guided by the staff team, you are in charge of the project definition, the design of the interventions, the planning and organisation of the festival and building activities, as well as the communication, with the manifesto as your touchstone.

Simultaneously and intertwined with the 3 parallel trails, a select but agile and empathic team of students, gives form to the project. Here all needs, dreams, opportunities and ideas are envisioned in one – or more – spatial interventions. While developing plans and sections, the design is regularly checked with all participants, the community, municipality and the staff team. The interventions envision the values and ambitions of the course. 

Gradually everyone takes on a role, following his or her skills, knowledge and interests. Designer, ambassador, coordinator of the participatory processes or hands-on construction workshops, developer or producer of new building materials, urban harvester,  photographer, social media manager, budget controler… all roles are equally important and all participants are equally responsible to contribute to the project, its design and realisation …and related activities.

The festival, the realization of the proposed interventions, and creative documentation in the form of a magazine and a short film are the fruits of your journey. 

The festival is the kick-off of the building activities. In three weekends, filled with workshops, lectures, walks, and other activities, you share your skills and knowledge with the visitors. Here, the community can contribute, learn, and enjoy, while building with bioregional materials. 

You are the hosts and the handymen!

And then, an intensive period of building and perseverance starts… , working together as a team! Taking on different roles. Not always easy but very rewarding. Embrace the help of neighbours and friends.

After four weeks of intensive building activities, handing over the ‘key’ of the project to the local community is a festive – and somewhat emotional – moment.

During and after this collaborative- and surely intensive - experience you share your learning outcomes with the wider community and spread it wherever you go. The magazine, envisioning your journey, and a series of short films,  will help building that global network of changemakers.