From excess to sufficiency, from linear to circular, from depletion to regeneration… the postgraduate participants explored the potential of artisanship and innovative solutions with regenerative materials, aiming for a sustainable and inclusive society in balance with nature. 

Backed by academic knowledge and insights from practice, they explored the application of (unfired) earth blocks in contemporary architecture, discovered bio-sourced and fibre-based materials such as lime hemp and straw bales, got inspired by traditional wood construction and searched for innovative solutions to upscale the use of regenerative materials such as circular wood construction, CLT and industrially produced earth blocks. 

Embedded in ongoing research and long-term collaboration with local actors, the particpants of this edition have designed and built a garden pavilion and earth oven in the garden of the Pastorie, creating a place for the community to meet.  By defining a series of interactions and interventions during the Beyond Borders festival, the opportunities for regenerative materials and the beauty of collaboration were shared with the wider community.

Theory and reflect sessions

We have built our foundations in four, thematic sessions: Materials & circularity, Biodiversity & landscape, Sufficiency & lowtech design and Social and participatory design. A series of lectures by both academics and experts from practice was combined with discussion sessions and brief workshops. Together with the lecturers, the participants explored the four themes more in detail and reflect on alternative ways of designing and building.

Hands-on ateliers

Hands-on experimenting played a central role in the postgraduate programme. Throughout the year - in collaboration  with BC Materials and other partners from building practice and industry -  the students combined hands-on workshops to experiment with regenerative materials with lectures and site and study visits. The focus was on artisanship as well as innovations to upscale regenerative solutions and to create impact in the building sector. In Spring, we visited Morocco and the village of Ouled Merzoug, where the participants of the 18|19 edition of Building Beyond Borders had designed and built the Women’s House. Together with local craftsmen, we studied traditional ways of building with earth and were introduced to innovative, contemporary applications of earth blocks. 

more about the hands-on ateliers

Research & Design tracks

The students could choose between three research tracks that were guided by researchers from the Sustainability and Spatial Capacity Building research lines of Hasselt University. The research tracks served as input for the design of the building project and festival in Helchteren.

In the research track on earth construction, embedded within the VLAIO Living Lab research project on earth blocks, the participants explored the application of earth blocks in contemporary architecture.  They researched user preferences, perceptions, social adoptation and the circular potential of earth block masonry. Some of them dived deeper into the topic of earth plaster and developed a local plaster, based on the reuse of existing plaster. 

In the research track on wood construction, circular design solutions and the potential of revaluing reclaimed wood were studied as input for the design of the building project. This track turned out to become the back-bone of the garden pavilion.

The social and participatory design track was embedded in a long-running research project in the community of Helchteren. In a participatory way, the building beyond borders participants designed and built the intervention, interacted with the end-users from initial, conceptual stage until the final realisation. 

Building project

Taking up the role of material designer, manager, communicator, participation mediator or even activist, the students harvested materials, organised the building site, produced and built a garden pavilion and earth oven. During the entire building phase, the team was on site, camping in- or was it squatting -  the Pastorie.

Today, the ensemble of pavilion and oven make the beauty and social added value of regenerative architecture tangible to a wide public. It has become a welcoming, informal place for the community to meet and relax.

Theoretical backgrounds, hands-on skills, shared ambitions and activist mindsets came together in this phase. The intervention is low-impact and high-quality at the same time. 

The Building Beyond Pastorie Festival was an invaluable part of the building journey. During this self-organised, 17-day event, the students had organised workshops, lectures and get-togethers, while interacting with neighbours, local stakeholders, future change-makers, academic experts, professionals, …. and disseminated the relevance of a built environment in regenerative materials.

more about the Pastorie, the North-South connection and the building project 

wearebuildingbeyondborders

During their postgraduate year, the wearebuildingbeyondborders website was coordinated by the participants as a living platform to communicate about the live projects with local stakeholders and other enthusiasts .