Rotor

Big plans ahead! It's been 2 years since we arrived on this 14.000 m² site in the Da Vinci district of citydev.brussels. If we have chosen a site of this size, it is because we wanted to create a place that would not only house Rotor (DC), but also several other initiatives. From the start, the idea has been to transform the site into a vibrant place dedicated to reuse, local economy and craftsmanship, which would play an essential role in the city. To turn this ambition into reality, our colleagues at Rotor Deconstruction have now launched a call for design teams.

No plans for demolition: the project consists of keeping the existing buildings from the 1980s and improving, transforming and extending them, using a large share of reclaimed and bio-based materials. That's why we're looking for designers without newness bias, but who are willing to work with what's already there.

The call is organized just like a public architectural competition. What’s specific is that RotorDC is not asking to produce a full schematic design as part of the application. Instead, with the team of the BMA bouwmeester maître architecte, they have developed a lighter procedure, where the evaluation is based on references, vision, collaboration methodology, etc.

Important note: the project is still conditional. In order to finance it, RotorDC applied for an ERDF project call from the Brussels region, which aims to support the creation of reuse and recycling centers. After the first round the project was shortlisted together among 7 others - while only 5 or 6 will eventually receive financing. It was decided to launch the call already so the works can start as soon as possible if the final decision turns out to be positive.

If so, by 2029 the site will be home to an ecosystem of more than 9 SMEs employing more than 70 FTE jobs and putting thousands of tonnes of materials and goods back into circulation each year. It will also be an inspiring place to visit and a key piece in the big puzzle of the material economy.

We can't wait to see what this site will look like in 5 years!

All info about the call:
https://bma.brussels/

The new Brussels Capital Region's roadmap for the construction of public space includes recommendations and guidelines for the reuse of materials such as pavers, setts, kerbs and street furniture. Rotor was part of the project team led by A.M. ORG Urbanism & Architecture and Bureau Bas Smets, who assisted URBAN.Brussels with the establishment of the document. It describes among others for which materials reuse can be easily prioritized, and what exactly such a reuse process looks like.

The corresponding sections can be found from pages 67 and 489 onwards. The document can be downloaded in french and dutch from the website of Urban.brussels.

Vacature! We zoeken een Nederlandstalige stagiair. Motivatie, CV en portfolio zijn welkom tot 8 juli. Voor meer info, zie onze website.

Nederlandstalige stagiair gezocht | Rotor In het kader van onze adviesopdrachten zijn we op zoek naar een stagiair architect (M/V/X) met een uitgesproken interesse voor de circulaire economie in de bouw.

Ad Hoc Baroque is back on the shelves!

Via Idea Books, RotorDC (BE only!) or ask your local bookstore.

Thanks again to everybody who made this possible: Anja Hellebaut & Anthony De Meyere, Casier/Fieuws, Flemish Architecture Institute, Ghent University, the many, many people that agreed to show us their house and share their memories, and all private and public archive holders who provided us with visual material.

Project funded by a cultural project grant by the Flemish government.

And off we go! Today is the launch day of our new European Interreg NWE project: PREUSE—standing for Public Responses to Enable the Circulation of Salvaged building Elements. We are teaming with 8 partner organisations: Bellastock (FR), La fabrique des quartiers MEL (FR), Metropole Grandparis (FR), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology - LIST, Ville de Lorient, Stad Mechelen (BE), Gemeente Utrecht (NL) and Commune de Wiltz(LU). Together, we are going to explore how to facilitate the development of reuse centres by local and regional public authorities; and how to consolidate the construction industry’s capacity to uptake salvage and reuse practices. The project expected outcomes include:

- A strategy for developing reuse centres for construction materials salvaged from public works sites.

- A series of local action plans for the future development of reuse centres.

- 3 pilot projects to test innovative formats of reuse centres.

- Public and private organisations trained to salvage and reuse construction materials.

We are gathering with our Partners and Associated Organisations at Rotor's headquarters in Brussels for the project kick-off meeting.

We're delighted and very excited to be embarking on this new adventure with our partners. We'll keep you posted as the project develops!

We're excited to share this piece by Oliver Wainwright on Ad Hoc Baroque, today in The Guardian!

The skylights? They’re from fighter jets! The anarchic architect who transformed Belgium Derided by the architectural establishment, Marcel Raymaekers used salvaged materials from ships, planes and slaughterhouses – to create riotous buildings that made people rethink their lives

The BX1 team takes a look back at the renovation of the Zinneke premises in a short video. It's a chance to rediscover this collaborative project, of which we're very proud!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEnDtSoMr6w

A project made possible thanks to , , in collaboration with architecture

Le MaZui, centre névralgique de la Zinneke Parade, achève sa transformation https://bx1.be/categories/news/le-mazui-centre-nevralgique-de-la-zinneke-parade-acheve-sa-transformation/

A few words about the interview with Marcel Raymaekers in the most recent weekend edition of De Standaard.

For the past two years, as a team of scholars, authors, photographers connected to Rotor and UGent, we have been conducting research on Raymaekers, one of the most flamboyant protagonists of the reuse-of-building-materials-scene in post-war Belgium. The research reveals the complex afterlife of valuable architectural fragments in a context of intense building and demolition activity. Our ambition was to shed new light on the forgotten figure of Raymaekers and the scene that surrounded him but also to honor the many contractors, craftsmen, private commissioners, architects, friends, professionals and amateurs who helped extend the life cycle of these elements, creating some remarkable architecture out of them.

Our team interviewed not only Raymaekers many times over (we also read more than 100 old interviews) but also a great number of his former clients, collaborators, and family members. This provided a nuanced insight into Raymaekers’ personality and ethics. It also confirmed he is not a man we endorse morally, nor do we propose retrieving everything about his practice. We discuss this explicitly in a detailed disclaimer at the beginning of our book Ad Hoc Baroque. Please take this in consideration when you read this weekend's lengthy interview of the man in de Standaard Magazine, in which Raymaekers, now 90, revels in the revived attention for his work and person with a series of provoking but also, unfortunately, demeaning quotes. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s many media outlets loved this kind of talk and lapped it up. It seems these kinds of provocations retain their spell up to the present day.

Finally! Officially launched and now in orbit. Ad Hoc Baroque. Marcel Raymaekers' reuse architecture in postwar Belgium was presented this Tuesday at the Flemish Architecture Institute in Antwerp, during crowded session in presence of the Marcel Raymaekers himself. Speakers included co-authors Lionel Devlieger, Arne Vande Capelle and Stijn Colon, as well as photographers Anja Hellebaut and Anthony De Meyere.

Ad Hoc Baroque is the crystallization of a two-year research project by a team from Rotor and the University of Ghent into Marcel Raymaekers' post-war reuse architecture. Through his company Queen of the South, founded in 1972, Raymaekers bought and restored thousands of tons of antique building parts. He reused them to his own design in more than 120 buildings. His exceptional practice has long been viewed suspiciously by the architectural world. The book aims to change that and finally give his work the attention it deserves.

A special shout out goes to Simon Casier and Petra Fieuws, our favorite graphic designers, who were also present that evening, and who did, once again, an amazing job on this book. We were glad also to see that evening so many commissioners of Raymaekers’ buildings, with their families.

The book is now available in Belgium, at the better bookstores and at Rotor DC (you can order online via https://rotordc.com/shop/product/book-ad-hoc-baroque-by-a-vande-capelle-s-colon-l-devlieger-j-westcott-61134 )

Internationally, the book is distributed by IDEA books, see the following link: https://www.ideabooks.nl/9789464776652-ad-hoc-baroque-marcel-raymaekers-salvage-architecture-in-postwar-belgium .

The exhibition Unfolding the Archives #6 Marcel Raymaekers, pioneer in circular architecture is still on view at the Flemish Architecture Institute, Antwerp, until March 17, 2024. More details here: https://www.vai.be/agenda-expos-en-programma/unfolding-the-archives-6-marcel-raymaekers .

Being the ones who (usually) procure, install and sometimes dismantle building materials, contractors are a crucial link in the chain of operations that enables reuse. To address their specific needs and answer their most frequently asked questions, Rotor and our Interreg NWE FCRBE partners have produced six guidance documents. Each targets a specific construction trade: general contractors, finishing companies, woodworkers, roofers, demolition contractors and infrastructure companies. These documents can all be found on the FCRBE website or in the documentation section of Opalis.eu.

Many building professionals feel they operate in a gray area when it comes to insuring reused materials. This may even prevent some professionals from integrating reused products. Yet, different schemes can be used to address this issue properly. As part of the Interreg NWE FCRBE project, we have collected and reported on 11 case studies, suggesting best practices on this matter. All this documentation can be found on the FCRBE website or in the documentation section of Opalis.eu.

Setting quantitative targets can be a good way to incentivise reclamation and reuse in construction and renovation projects. There are, however, many ways to do so and some pitfalls to avoid. As part of the Interreg NWE FCRBE project, we have published four guidance documents covering this topic:

1. A general method that establishes the necessary definitions and presents the key methodological aspects for addressing the issue of reuse and reclamation rates.

2. An introduction to our analysis of reuse rates achieved in a sample of 32 recently completed projects.

3. A compilation of 32 detailed project sheets, a complement to the analysis that gives as much details as possible on the reused elements used in each project

4. A report on 4 live tests which explored how to implement reuse rates in various procurement procedures.

They can all be downloaded from the FCRBE website or in the documentation section of Opalis.eu:
- https://opalis.eu/en/documentation
- https://vb.nweurope.eu/projects/project-search/fcrbe-facilitating-the-circulation-of-reclaimed-building-elements-in-northwestern-europe/

We are enormously proud to finally present 'Ad Hoc Baroque,' the result of two years of research into Marcel Raymaekers' postwar salvage architecture. The book brings together 35 projects, an extensive biography and five chapters that delve into the various aspects of Raymaekers' practice and draw lessons for architecture and construction today. This richly illustrated book, with beautiful photographs by Anthony De Meyere and Anja Hellebaut, will be on sale from Dec. 12 and very soon as a pre-order through Rotor Deconstruction , and will be available in Dutch and English. More news on the book launch and pre-order will follow soon!

Who would have thought that a small 15m² toilet pavilion could stand out in an international competition?

Thanks to the use of a large quantity of reused materials, the Chiro's sanitary building project won the Circular Economy prize at the Green Solution Awards organized by Construction21 International and Ecobuild.brussels.

More info on the project here: https://rotordb.org/en/projects/sanitary-block-itterbeek-chiro

Nederlandstalige stagiair-architect gezocht!
In het kader van onze onderzoeks- en adviesactiviteiten zijn we op zoek naar een jonge (v/m/x) stagiair-architect met een uitgesproken interesse voor de circulaire economie in de bouw. Interesse? Stuur ons je motivatiebrief met CV en portfolio naar: [email protected] (vóór maandag 25 september)

Meer info:

Nederlandstalige stagiair-architect gezocht | Rotor In het kader van onze onderzoeks- en adviesactiviteiten zijn we op zoek naar een jonge (M/V/X) stagiair architect met een uitgesproken interesse voor de circulaire economie in de bouw.

Exclusively open this Sunday: Queen of the South! Come and visit Marcel Raymaekers' reuse headquarters during 'Dag van de Architectuur' and discover his salvage architecture in person. Open from 10 to 17h, no registration or tickets required. Address: Hasseltweg 377, 3600 Genk. Pictures by Anja Hellebaut and Anthony De Meyere. Organized by Vlaams Architectuurinstituut - for more info check their website: https://festivalvandearchitectuur.be/programma/d-a-queen-of-the-south/

For the past two years, we have been documenting the oeuvre of designer Marcel Raymaekers. From the 1960s to 2014, Raymaekers built up a body of work consisting of over a hundred houses, constructed virtually entirely out of reclaimed building antiques. These materials were dismantled in large quantities during the post-war modernization of Belgian cities and landscapes, and stored by Raymaekers at his company, the Queen of the South. His stock, open to the public, served as his catalogue of building blocks to design with. After interviewing dozens of home owners, collaborators, and Raymaekers himself, we are finally ready to show the results. More information coming very soon! Pictures by Anja Hellebaut and Anthony De Meyere.

Le Serpent du Kanal, our competition proposal with and for the interior design of Kanal’s future bar-brasserie. Awarded third place, Le serpent is a long bar in the shape of a snake that boldly occupies and opens up the entire length of the available space, putting the kitchen and staff activities in full view. Reclaimed terrazzo and parquet in Hungarian point are introduced to contribute to a rich and tantalizing interior. Big thanks to everyone involved!

CONFÉRENCE DU CYCLE ARCHITECTES : MYCHAËL GHYOOT, "ADOPTER DES PRATIQUES DE RÉEMPLOI EN EUROPE DU NORD-OUEST - RETOURS D’EXPÉRIENCE"
>> Vendredi 16 juin / 13h / Amphi 180
Michaël Ghyoot, architecte et chargé de projet chez ROTOR, présentera l'approche des équipes de Rotor sur la question du réemploi des matériaux de construction.
Michaël Ghyoot, architecte et chargé de projet chez ROTOR, présentera l'approche des équipes de Rotor sur la question du réemploi des matériaux de construction à travers une diversité de projets : aménagement d'intérieurs, recherche, assistance à la maîtrise d'ouvrage... Il évoquera notamment les résultats et perspectives du projet Interreg NWE FCRBE (Facilitating the Circulation of Reclaimed Building Elements).
Discutante : Christine Desert.

With motivated clients come great results. Rotor furnished the cafetaria of Realco's production plant (where they make enzyme-based cleaning products). From the ceramic and terrazzo tiles, light fittings and table tops to the kitchen equipment, no less than 80% of the materials used in the project are reclaimed. (First photo by Benjamin Brolet)

Friendly reminder - only 6 more days to apply!

We are looking for an European project and public funding coordinator!

Curious? You can find the job description here: https://www.alterjob.be/c-job-fr-44697.html

Deadline to apply: 5 June

We are looking for an European project and public funding coordinator!

Curious? You can find the job description here: https://www.alterjob.be/c-job-fr-44697.html

Deadline to apply: 5 June

Next Thursday, the 4th of May, we have the pleasure to welcome Célia Küpfer for a lecture at Rotor. As part of the Structural Xploration Lab of the EPFL, Célia has been doing extensive research on the reuse of concrete structural elements.

In her talk, Célia will elaborate on her recently published historical survey of concrete reuse, demonstrating that reclaiming concrete structures is more common and feasible than often assumed.

After the talk there will be the opportunity to share thoughts with an aperitif.

Please register your presence via: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-history-of-concrete-reuse-celia-kupfer-tickets-618885752947

(Copyright respectively credited to Eklund et al, RE:CRETE and EPFL)

We zijn op zoek naar een Nederlandstalige stagiair!
Meer info via:

We werven aan ! | Rotor In het kader van onze onderzoeks-, advies- en ontwerpactiviteiten zijn we op zoek naar een jonge (M/V/X) stagiair architect met een uitgesproken interesse voor de circulaire economie in de bouw.

Will we ever get tired of these reclaimed curved plywood panels? No we won't. These are salvaged by from the WTC Towers and will be installed in our latest design project, the bar of the Permeke museum in Jabbeke. Woodwork by