To ‘change the perception of materials,’ this museum started with its own annex

FastCompany: In Belgium, the building blocks for a new space have been made with yesterday’s construction material. The white brick annex at the newly reopened Design Museum Gent, in Gent, Belgium, is made from locally sourced materials through a process that repurposes construction waste for less energy than firing a typical brick. The Gent Waste Brick, developed by the Brussels-based construction company BC Materials, is made from 63% recycled municipal waste—mostly crushed concrete and construction glass—from the city of Gent. [Photo: Farah Fervel] That mix is combined with lime, sand, and other mineral ingredients to form the bricks.

Instead of being fired in a kiln, they are pressed. Thanks to the lime, which absorbs carbon dioxide in the air, they harden on their own, avoiding the high temperatures and reducing the energy use typical of traditional brick firing. BC Materials worked in partnership with the architectural practices ATAMA, Carmody Groarke, and RE-ST to test material mixes and production techniques to meet the technical requirements for facade use of the brick. After testing, they produced 82,000 of the bricks at Gent’s Arsenaal site, a former railway repair yard.

The process exemplifies circular design , which aims to keep products and materials in use for longer by finding new uses for them instead of disposing of them. The museum annex is a 2,200-square-foot wing. Inside, it’s a multipurpose space to host exhibitions and events; from the outside, it’s an attractive addition to the city’s skyline, with its neutral-colored brick and slanted roofline that mimics the pitch of some local rooftops. [Photo: Farah Fervel] After a four-year renovation, Design Museum Gent reopened this month with Public Matter(s): Design and Democracy , an exhibition about the invisible rules that shape political systems.

While this inaugural exhibition asks visitors to consider the ways democracy is designed, strengthened, and undermined, the materials used in the museum’s addition ask visitors to consider the ways we build and recycle. “If we want to build differently, we first need to change our perception of materials and how we value them,” says Farah Fervel, digital marketing manager at BC Materials. She says there’s a growing interest in the origin, composition, and end-of-life management of materials.

[Photo: Farah Fervel] “Architects and clients are increasingly looking to repurpose materials or resources from the site itself, such as earth, building elements, and construction debris,” she tells Fast Company , but there are challenges around such things as certification, regulations, and producing materials on a larger scale. Raising awareness is key to making a change toward more regenerative and bioregional architecture , she says. This spring, in partnership with the museum, BC Materials opened the brick production site to the public, so visitors could see the process and even help make a brick .

By using local, recycled materials for its new wing, Design Museum Gent transformed its annex from a building that houses design stories into a work of sustainable design with a story of its own.

The article discusses a significant initiative in sustainable design that could influence brand narratives, making it impactful and relevant, though the concept of using recycled materials is not entirely new.