| Tutor(s) | Nel Janssens and Manon Persoone |
| Campus | GHENT |
| Language | EN |
| Engagement | Mediating Tactics |
| Semester | 2 |
Image reference: Images and design work are part of PhD research © Manon Persoone (2024)
Studio description
The studio starts from an observation that the socio-ecological aspects of waste (-treatment) are not yet sufficiently examined spatially and programmatically as an important design element in the practice and discipline of architecture. More specifically, it addresses the rapid and total removal of sanitary wastewater from our buildings, as this puts a heavy burden on our environment and infrastructures.
The studio explores the potential of human-generated waste to become a valuable resource to regenerate the living environment of humans and non-humans. From this exploration, we aim to develop inspiring spatial-architectural types and programmes. This designerly exploration will take place on the site of the Blikfabriek in Hoboken (Antwerp).
The Blikfabriek is a temporary repurposed industrial site that acts as a collaborative workspace for civic actors, cultural organisations, and collectives of creators. The site includes warehouses of 30,000 m2 which have been transformed into a breeding ground for ecological experiment on cohabitation—of which sanitation and dealing with waste is an integral part. Among other things, they aim to advance self-sufficient practices of permaculture, waste management, and new forms of energy harvesting in an urban context (https://blikfabriek.be).
The aim of the course is not a comprehensive design of the entire site and buildings. Rather we seek to test how one design aspect might become a strong ecological, architectural or ethical proposition. We are looking for novel spatial visions and proposals to give new roles and values to architectural/ecological elements in environmentally regenerative ways.
The design challenge lies in connecting what architecturally forms the smallest and largest scale on this site—for example, “sanitation” and “garden”. The direct, systemic relationship between the two forms the basis for the design of an infrastructural-architectural element on the site. Taking the site off-grid means that an important additional requirement/actor will be added to the program, important in size but especially in atmospheric and spatial quality. The question that is being asked here is how this radical thinking can lead to challenging architectural ‘living environments’. This is mainly approached through speculative design, which means that the focus is on imagining such an architectural infrastructure rather than technically solving it. The outcome of this can vary in scale from an architectural element to a garden/landscape design. The expositional quality of the final result i.e. the media in which it is expressed (drawing, model, photo, film, text…) will be discussed during the studio.
This studio has an important focus on research and is based on the research developed in the research cell “Architecture & Wicked Matters” as part of the research group “Material Narratives” (https://materialnarratives.eu/home).
References/Further reading:
Annelies De Smet, Jo(han) Liekens, Nel Janssens and Manon Persoone, “Architecting Twenty-six Toilets to Re-figure Inhabitation: J for Jewel, S for Soil Times, T for Thigmophilia.” Full-text access to the paper (p.288-301): https://ca2re.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/13_06_22_dupla_reduced.pdf.
Armstrong, R. (2019). Liquid Life: On non-linear materiality. New York: Punctum.
Holmgren, D. (2017). Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, 2nd ed., Victoria, Australia: Melliodora Publishing.
Hughes, R. & Armstrong. R. (2021) The Art of Experiment: Post-pandemic Knowledge Practices for 21st Century Architecture and Design. London: Routledge.
Ingold, I. (2011). On Being Alive: Essays on Movement, Knowledge and Description. Abingdon: Routledge.
Journal for Artistic Research (online): https://www.jar-online.net/en
Jenkins, J. (2005). The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.
Kira, A. (1976). The Bathroom. New York: Viking Press.
Koolhaas, R. & the Harvard Graduate School of Design. (2018). Elements of Architecture (Chapter: Toilet). Cologne, Germany: Taschen GmbH.
Puig de la Bellacasa, M. (2017). Matters of Care: Speculative Ethics in More Than Human Worlds. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Research Catalogue: https://www.researchcatalogue.net
Verlinden, T. & Vanoppen, M. (2021) Weg van Water. Gent: Academia Press.
Sanitopia student work (2024)
‘Policy of practises at the Limes Dissensi’ by Alina Wirth.
‘Compost Toilet Landmark’ by Lisa De Sloovere.
‘The Cycle of Water’ by Aline De Baets.
‘RainCycle Revival’ by Xinzhuo Jiang.