3 year international architecture & design workshop 'Abandoned Sacred Places

‘Abandoned Sacred Spaces’

internationalworkshop

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Belgium: Ghent, Brussels, AntwerpServia: BelgradeItaly: TorinoEstonia: TallinnU.K.: Canterbury

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Ghent

Brussels

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Hogeschool voor Wetenschap & Kunst

Belgium.Ghent and Brussels

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Ghent&BrussBelgium

St.-Niklaas Church, Ghent

Belgium in general:

Through the agesToday: Mainly for special occasions

funerals, weddings, Solemn Communion...Consequence = an increasing secularization

Why keep the churches? It determines the image, the heart of the village/town. A lot of people get emotionally connected to it. It’s an important spatial, cultural and historical point of orientation,

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els.Vision Since 1931,the Belgian government protects valuable buildings as monuments. Reorientation of churches: Abandoned Sarcred Places.The original function of the building is in most cases difficult to maintain, dueto the decreasing number of church user. Althaugh trying to maintian it’s originaluse is preferable, new functions need to be causiderd in order to keep it’s valuablecontribution to societyand it’s urban fabric.

examples: Musical performances Party hall Beer depot Restaurant Museums Class rooms Four star hotel ...

Augustijnen ChurchAntwerp, Concert Hall

BrigittinenkerkBrussels, Cultural CentreHairdresser 8

Antwerp

artesis antwerpen

Belgium.Antwerp

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Antwerp.BelgiumVACANT SACRED BUILDINGS

BELGIUM: past = Catholicism was very popular present = decrease of active believers limited number of participants in mass

large scale sacred buildings high maintenance costs renovation and conservation costs

less participants + high costs less income financial aid of the government new (commercial?) functions

reticent attitude of the church towards newfunctions

PROBLEMATIC

DESECRATION

Desecration condition for conversion?Is the church a willing party?

Reticent attitude of the church

CHURCH COUNCIL OR ‘KERKFABRIEK’

public organisation for material andfinancial support exists of the priest and religiousappointees Belgium, Italy and parts of France

Influences the functional future of church buildings

Antwerp, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Cathedral

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Belgrade

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University of Belgrado

Serbia.Belgrade

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Belgrade.Serbia

This is an example of a typical Orthodox church in Belgrade.Temple of Saint Sava

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The church, as seen in the pictures above, is reused as a been theatre.Bitef

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Torino

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Politecnico di torino

Italy.Torino

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Torino.italy

Sacred as collectivity, commuity and public space

Sacred as emotion and mystic experience

introspection

tradition

dogma

emotions

intimacy

spirituality

mysticism

unfathomed

community

identity

cohesion

urban form

public space

memory

folklore

Sacred as a container for new functions

container

reuse

scenography

design

trend

performance

aesthetics

example Sacred as identity

Salemi CathedralAlvaro Siza, Roberto CollovàSicily, 1983

Designing from the ruins

Cathedral destroyed by the earthquake between public and sacral spaces:a new plaza for Salemi

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TallinnTallinn

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Estonian Academy of Arts

Estonia.Tallinn

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Tallinn.Estonia

1. Estonian religion before Christianity was strongly connected with forests and nature.

2. For Estonians a sacred place could be any place in the forest, related to legends or myths.

3. Sacred tree in Laekvere, worshipped in ancient times. This 9.5 m high pine tree was one of the pair of trees, called “Bride and Groom”.

1. 2. 3.

as many churches in Estonia was theRoots Mihkli Church in Tallin 1531reformd in a GYM from 1944-1990

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CanterburyCanterburrryyy

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University for Creative Arts at Canterbury

U.K.Canterbury

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CanterburyU.K.

How is today’s understanding of religion and historic places within our country developing?

The English Heritage protects historic buildings and their meanings by developing them for modern uses but at the same time by being sympathetic to what they once were.Without the English Heritage, history would be lost and historic buildings would be subjects to crude conversions.

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Staffdifferent schools

Stijn Cockx Tom CallebautRiet Eeckhout Ephraim jorisBonino Michele Paul Wauters

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected] 29

Karel Deckers Stefaan OnraertVladimir Milenkovic Branko Belacevic Tomà Berlanda

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Marjan Michels

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Matrix of Workshopat x

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It’s organized round the idea of a matrix: 10 topics for 10 mixed groups of students.These ten topics should be elaborated on by each group in a ‘spatial’ and conceptual way.This workshop should thus enable students to create a theoretical model. This model should be applied into the two the two churches: St. Suzanne and St. Nicholas Church.

materialisation Behaviour conflicts Identity Sence of space/place Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5

Team 6 Team 7 Team 8 Team 9 Team 10

Religion

Reorientation

ExteriorisationVocabularyBuildingsOrganisation

CirculationGroupsSocial entitiesSpirituality

EvolutionTaboosTraditionIndi.collective

TypologyRitualsIconsMonuments

EnvironmentLocalisationClimategeography

Matrix WorkshopTeam 1

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team 2

MatrixMatrix WorkshopWorkshopTeam 3

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Does identity still exsists?Is identity related to a specific form?

What makes you identify in relegion?

what is identity??

team 4


m u l t i fo r m m o d e l / s p a ce

C l o s e d p l a c e _ s o r r o w , r e f l e c t i o n , m e d i t a t i o n , i n t e r i o r i s a t i o n

P e r m e a b l e s p a c e _ d i f f e r e n t p o i n t s o f v i e w , mu l t i p l e s p a c e

O p e n s p a c e _ c o m m u n i o n , g a t h e r i n g , i d e n t i t y

re l i g i on g oe s beyond p l a c e , i t n e e d s space

catacomb sacred hollow sacred building

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team 6


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team 8

MatrixMatrix WorkshopWorkshop

Conclusion

Identity depends on the type of reoriantation, no strickt rules can be made because every project will be individual.

The elements are part of the churchThe church will contain its historyThe remaining members of congregation wont be dissappointed.

The church will keep his identity becauseit is a monument itself.

Creating a new perspective of wider popula-tionby looking less sacral.

Retaining the sacral building and the feel of sacracy by the present of his structure, namely thick walls, brick walls, big doors, high seeling...

The church looses his meaning en histry,many churches are named to a holy man standing as a statue in front of the church.

Team 9

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M

team 10

LECTURES

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LELEnopqLECTULECTU43

1. YOT B: Religion & Re-Orientation2. KERKFABRIEK: Sint-Anna-ten Drieën Church3. Sven Sterken: 20th century religious heritage (in Flanders)4. Flemish government: heritage5. Hans Foncke: Modelling sacred space6. Jos Vandenbreedenen: St. Suzanne and St. franciscus church

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lecture 1.

TO MEET

Yot B Yot B is a team that assists groups in the startup and development of innovative projects at the intersectionof aesthetics and spirituality.

They askedTom CallebautSofie Verschuereto re-Orientate the MagdalenaChurch for ‘Bruges cultural capital’ in 2002

Religion & Re-orientation

an experiment about space, man and religion

the Neo-Gotic Church retains its function, but by upgrading you’ll geta different kind of costum.

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lecture 2.Kerkfabriek This is a public institution designed to provide the management of movable and immovable property of the church, maintenance and security of the church heritage , recruiting and hiring of paid staff.

Erik BalbaertHe is the president of ‘the Kerkfab_riek’Sint-Anna-ten-drieën,Antwerp,Linkeroeversee www.sint-anna-at-drieen.be

winningproject

Sint-Anna-ten Drieën Church

Working Group

KIEZEL Flemish Government Architect+ art cell

Parish teamparishioners

Eric Antonis(ex-intendant Antwerpen ‘93)

Builderchurchfabric

priest Local contact person

missionIn our church community at Linkeroever all people of goodwill are welcome, Irrespective of their country of origin, age, sex or religion,

We invite everyone to celebrate life together, every day, in joy or in pain,in a contemporary form and language

Because we believe that, in this way,we can make the house of God a warm home that brings us a little closer to the discovery of heaven...

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lecture 3.Sven Sterken (1975) is an engineer-architect. Before graduating at Ghent University (B) in 1998, he studied in Pretoria and Paris. In 2004, he obtained a PhD in architectural history at Ghent University with a dissertation on the spatial and media work of the composer, engineer and architect Iannis Xenakis.

20th century religious heritage (in Flanders)

Demolition Joint useRe-orientationFuture use of church buildings: strategies

Deliberate vacancy

Conclusion: challenges ahead!Ecclesiastical authorities: allow alternative use, conversion, sale or even demolition as these processes are of all times. Civil authorities: Raise awareness to the problem Invest money not only in buildings but also in research ‘Master plan’ to rationalize cost for society

Architectural community: creative solutions to accommodate new functions with respect for building’s sacral character and typological features

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lecture 4.Piet Geleyns (1975) has studied engineer-architect at KUL, he has also a master in conservation of historic towns and buildings at the R. Lemaire Center for Conservation (2000)Since August 2004 is piet heritage adviser to the Flemish Government (RO Vlaanderen) to contact UNESCO for World Heritage Flanders.

Possible solutions ? Preserve the original function, but add additional uses.

Preserve these buildings, but look for a new function.

Abandon these buildings, in order to replace them with new, more suitable buildings & projects.

Flemish government: heritage

Listed religious buildings are no different than other listed buildings …But the features that make up the essence of these buildings (specific decoration, typical spaces, …) often make it harder to find acceptable new functions.exemples

Covered market @ Sarlat-la-Canéda,Fr Small shop @ Wolweverskapel + Chapel of the Holy

WELL

LESS

lecture 5.Modelling sacred space

A model is universally applicable, not because it’s narrowed down to fit in everywhere, but because it’s so rich and layered that it conquers any context.

A model estranges the commonplace.A model questions the question. The model is a research tool.

Hans Foncke (1965) is a architect and has a degree in Art History. He’s Practice Assistant at Ghent University and assistant at the School of Science and Art, Department of Architecture, Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent and Brussels since 1993.Hans Foncke is a great lover of books, Berlin and Rome.

[a] model

modelling sacred spacefrom

philosophy

construction

Sir John Soane, Sir John Soane’s Museum(London, 1796-1837)

Bruno Taut, GlasbauspielAlan Wexler, Crate House.Bruno Taut, Glashaus (Keulen,1914)

Le Corbusier:Maison Dom-ino.(1914-1915)Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut.

Andrea Pozzo, Corridoio.(Rome)Bramante, la Santa Casa di Loreto. (Loreto, 1507-)

lecture 6. St. Suzanne and St. franciscus church

Jos Vandenbreeden is director of St. Luke Archives and professor at the Department of Architecture Sint-Lucas. He is the author of various publications on Art Nouveau and Art Deco in Belgium.

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The Sint-Fransiscuschurch is an neogothic church, with a neo-byzantine bell tower. The church is built in two parts.The oldest part at the back dates of 1893, the new part dates of 1937 to plans of the architect Colles. In 1994 the exterior was restored, now they restoring the inside.

St. Suzanne is a modern church built from 1925 to 1928 to plans of the architect Jean Combaz. It is the first church in Belgium made entirely from concrete.Remarkable are the spetial windows of Simon Steger and master of the glass Jacques Colpaert. The monument is protected by the Brussels-Capital Region.

Trips

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- Visit to Duffel, Bruges and Edelare (BE)- Dance performence in KVS (BE)- Visit to Wachendorf Mechernich, KÖLN (DE) and Vaals (NL)

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Field TripField TripVisist to Duffel, Bruges and EdelareVisist to Duffel Bruges and Edelare

For the garden of the psychiatric center at Sint- Norbertus, Duffel, built Thierry De Cordier a ‘Chapel of nothingness’ (2007).This sacred space conceived as a quiet space for patients and visitors to the institution, a place of relaxation and meditation.

The chapel is a mysterious black box, with a contrasting white interior were we find just one bench and a black pillar in front of the eight meter high wall.

Thierry De Cordier (Oudenaarde, Belgium, 1954) Is a Flemish Belgian visual artist, painter, sculptor, designer, graphic, poet- philosopher and builder of installations and environments.

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wednesday 11 februarywednesday 11 february

2.Yot B (Bruges, Belgium, 2003) Yot is a team that assists groups in the startup and development of innovative projects at the intersection of aesthetics and spirituality.

The neo-Gothic Magdalenakerk received in 2002 in honor of ‘Bruges Cultural Capital’ a new interior.

The re-orientation of the church is a place for every person who is looking for meaning.

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3.Robbrecht and Deam (Ghent, Belgium, 1970)

They are architects from Ghent and they belong to the representatives of the New Simplicity.Their work is characterized by a strong belief in the autonomy of thearchitectural form.

The concert hall clad in red terracotta tiles is built in function of Bruges cultural capital of Europe. The 4 different facades of the building show several views of the city: a park, the shops, the station, a square ...The building creates a new, modern look for the historical Bruges.

The concert hall is built on springs so that the vibrations from the outside are absorbed by the structure. The two music rooms also have a very good acous-tics by lining the vagaries of the ballustrades.


The Onze-Lieve-vrouw chapel was built in 1570 and burned down on February 21, 1961. But that does not means the end for the chapel, a new modern chapel built by the architect Juliaan Lampens.

He had a preference for concrete: “I’m not in love with concrete, but on the opportunities that this material offers. The constructive gesture that you as an architect suggests, is the first step to beauty. “The architecture is stripped to the bane necessity with just the essence remaining.

4.Juliaan Lampens (Eke, Belgium, 1926) He is graduated in 1950 as architect of the school of architecture Sint-Lucas in Ghent. His oeuvre consists mainly of building houses, with the exception of a library and the chapel.

Edelare


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dance perfordance perforkvs oo9okvs oo9o

www.kvs.be . KVS/Arduinkaai 9

rmancermanceSaterday 14 februarySaterday 14 february

Fender BenderAsli Öztürk / Rosa Mei / Jeanfrançois Blanquet

In Fender Bender the dancer, Asli Öztürk, plays with the idea of twin reverb. The twins, in this case, are nor indentical dancers, but one dancer and an everchanging sound element. Sound preform-er, Jeanfrançois Blanquet, views sound as a living object that changes constantly from both shape and function. It can be smarmy or spluttering like drops of water in bruning hot oil. Asli Öztürk was finalist in 2007 at the INternational Solo Dance Festival in Stuttgart.

Can You Repeat?Ayse Orhon

Can you, as an onlooker, whilst watching a performance, discern the physical voyage of discovery the dancer makes? Figure out the movement codes? Dancer/ choreographer Ayse Orhon takes you along on the intimate journey of how the performance was put together, from reharsal to presentation. She hasn’t put the emphasis on her physical strength and beauty, what she has done is take time out the stress those incredibly awkward moments that arise when finding out new movements.Ayse Orhon was one of the 3laureates of the very first Prix Jardin d’ Europe.

Masar Kadrievi, Gipsy Orchestra, Dj Shantel, Merdan Taplak

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Field TripField TripVisist to KÖLN and Wachendorf MechernichVisist to KÖLN and Wachendorf Mechernich

The tent shape placed long trunks served as formwork for the enclosure of the chapel area, with in the roof a hole. Then they burned the timber away with a slightly smoldering fire with the result a cave-like room with the remaining structure of concrete printed logs. Zumthors prayer house is a strong sign of recognition in the landscape.

Veldchapel, Wachendorf MechernichPeter Zumthor1.

Sunday 15 februarySunday 15 february

KÖLNKöln is a city and metropolitan district in Germany and is famous for its fairs, the carnival, the various Christmas markets and Kölsch beer.

The Gothic cathedral is the most important church of the diocese of Köln. It is the largest cathedral in Germany and one of the largest in Europe.The cathedral is 144 meters long and 86 meters wide. The towers are 157 meters high. 2.

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Kolumba Museum, kölnPeter Zumthor3.

The building, located in the center of Köln, was founded on the ruins of an old Gothic church. In the museum there is also a modern chapel of the architect Gottfried Böhm. The museum was an architectural integrity where the artwork was displayed to its maximum effect.

Sunday: 12h-17h


Jesuit church Sankt Peter, Köln4.

Located in the center it's the last preserved Gothic cathedral in the city, originally built (1513-1525) as a 3-aisled gallery basilica. Kunst-Station Sankt Peter Köln is a sensuous haven for contemporary art exhibitions from the likes of David Salle, Francis Bacon, Anish Kapoor and many others.

Sunday: 13h-17h clock 70


The Abby Sint Benedictusberg, Vaals, NL.Father Hans van der Laan5.

Father van der Laan studied architecture under Professor Grandpre-Molière in Delft. He has built several monasteries including the Dominican monastery in Vaals, for which he received an architectural price.

The Rule of Saint Benedict writes prayer, but also manual, as far as possible in their own living needs. There is a chapel, laundry, kitchen, bakery, tailor, smith, garden, guesthouse…

http://www.benedictusberg.nl/


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‘ Abandoned Sacred Spaces’esesesppp

nnnn

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Exploring potential in/ near/between places of worship in Brussels.(St.- Suzanne and St. Nicholas)

The key question is not why churches are being abandoned. The workshop focuses on the church as a public realm: a place where people can gather, interact regardless of any kind of belief. The potentiality of a religious building lies in the multiple use without abandoning the religious function and character of the building.The goal is to deepen knowledge, to inspire, to communicate, to research and eventually to trying to reach a tangible result.

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Project

Team1

IN THE SAME TIME THE NON-PLACE FYSICALLY STAYS A NON-PLACE, BUT MENTALLY THE SEVERAL PLACES IN THE CITY CAN BECOME A PLACE AGAIN FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE.

N O N - P L A C E P L A C E

‘Abandoned Sacred Spaces’

BECAUSE OF RELIGION BEEING PARTCIPATED MORE INDIVIDUALLY. RELIGION DOESN’T A SPECIFIC PLACE ANYMORE. THERE FOR WE CALLED THIS CHURCH A NON-PLACE.

OUR PROJECT IS ABOUT MAKING A STATEMENT ABOUT THE EMPTY CHURCHES. WE WANT TO EXPEXPLODE THIS EMPTYNESS ALL OVER THE CITY.SO THE CHURCH’S INTERIOR WOULD BE DEVIDED OVER THE URBAIN SPACE. BY PLACING A CAMERA INSIDE WE WANT TO BRING OUT THE EMPTYNESS AND CONFRONT PEOPLE WITH IT. IN THE SAME TIME PEOPLE WHO SEE THE BROADCASTEDBROADCASTED EMPTYNESS ARE FILMED AND PROJECTED AFTERWARDS INTO THE CHURCH.

THE INTERIOR SPACE STAYS MENTALLY LOCKEDBECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WICH CHURCH IT IS ABOUT.ININ THE SAME TIME THE NON-PLACE FYSICALLY STAYS A NON-PLACE, BUT MENTALLY THE SEVERAL PLACES IN THE CITY CAN BECOME A PLACE AGAIN FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE.

BECAUSE OF RELIGION BEEING PARTCIPATED MORE INDIVIDUALLY. RELIGION DOESN’T A SPECIFIC PLACE ANYMORE. THERE FOR WE CALLED THIS CHURCH A NON-PLACE.

OUR PROJECT IS ABOUT MAKING A STATEMENT ABOUT THE EMPTY CHURCHES. WE WANT TO EXPEXPLODE THIS EMPTYNESS ALL OVER THE CITY.SO THE CHURCH’S INTERIOR WOULD BE DEVIDED OVER THE URBAIN SPACE. BY PLACING A CAMERA INSIDE WE WANT TO BRING OUT THE EMPTYNESS AND CONFRONT PEOPLE WITH IT. IN THE SAME TIME PEOPLE WHO SEE THE BROADCASTEDBROADCASTED EMPTYNESS ARE FILMED AND PROJECTED AFTERWARDS INTO THE CHURCH.

THE INTERIOR SPACE STAYS MENTALLY LOCKEDBECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WICH CHURCH IT IS ABOUT.ININ THE SAME TIME THE NON-PLACE FYSICALLY STAYS A NON-PLACE, BUT MENTALLY THE SEVERAL PLACES IN THE CITY CAN BECOME A PLACE AGAIN FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE.

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ProjectProjectAbandoned Sacred Spaces‘Abandoned Sacred Spaces’

team2

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Team3


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A temporary, flexible installation exploring

the way a space can be experienced

based on the existing conflicts in the

spatial expression of religion


team4

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Identity carpet_shifts in perspective

The concept is the carpet in the meaning of a surface where people of differ-ent identities can lay down and experience the sense of community.Carpet has a religious universal value and give to people a warm and confortable sensation.

The carpet allowes to add new functions connected with soft activities (dances, pilates, talking and laying togheter)but also it can be used connected with the history and the icons of the church in order to valorize them or to hide them to give a more neutral view.

Putting a carpet and working with strips of different high that create a new landscape it’s possible to change the way of perception in a church, by the means of tentative contamination, adding different plans and using the possibility of attraction and atmosphere, like warmth and comfort.

The sitting of the curch are flexible and movable, are balls hidden behind the carpet and each person can move and place it, in order to create different settings according to the performance (religious or not).


Team5

3 entrances3 emotions

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A volume containing three different entrances creates three new approaches to the church.

They symbolise the ideas of progressin religious context.

Each one of the entrances reflects a basic aspect of religious feelings throughout the history and several religious traditions.

Each approach allows people to have a varied perception of religious environment.


team6

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Reorientation – Materialisation

When thinking about the materialisation of a church, we came to the conclusion that air is the main material. It takes in the largest space in the building. It contains the specific atmosphere of the church.

Our main goal with our model is to preserve this typical atmosphere. On the other hand, we also have an aspect of church that we definitely want to change. We want to change the main rules and traditions. In live plenty of things al already forced on us. Therefore in the church we want people to think for themselves. They have to make their own decisions and really commit to being there.

We take boundaries as decision points and as difficulties to cross to another level. The walls on itself are no boundaries. By crossing it you come into the public space. The boundary makes it easy to access the public space but makes it hard to return. This public space is very flexible, it can be used for different kinds of public events. It is actually an extension of the outside. From this area you can choose to move up to a superior level by crossing another boundary. This boundary is harder than the previous one and works in the opposite way. It’s very hard to cross it but easier to come back to the public space.

The proportions are always similar in every situation, but the exact dimensions change within every case.


Team7

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‘Personal growth through communal experiences, enriched by the past.’The tree offers a conceptual framework which combines our research and functional demands. Symboli-cally the tree offers a wide range of meanings and influences. In our project the focus is placed on the build-up of a tree and the different significations of each part. The roots stand for history, back-ground, community. All this comes together in the stem of the tree which is a way to grow as an indi-vidual. A person is a sort of conclusion of his roots. Meetings, education and experience make you grow as an individual. You branch out and become a ‘richer’ individual. Rope is used to translate the tree-idea to reality. The roots are exposed to attract people and lure them in from the street. You enter the space next to the roots following them up from the street. Once inside the church the roots go up and come together in a central spiral (the stem). This creates a cen-tral square for various functions, according to the time of day or need. During the day families with children can make it their ‘city garden’.

Congresses can be held with a speaker standing centrally surrounded by his public. Besides new functions the reorientation also allows for the original religious celebrations.The priest preaches from the middle and the parishioners can place themselves in the structure listening, watching,. Group-functions are completed with the possibility of experiencing the church privately. The tree-structure allows for people to climb up to higher, more individual spaces. Thehigher you go the more secluded you are. The communal feeling is placed centrally, your origin, your past, your roots... these are the points of contact. Every ‘tree’ is different according to the church or building in which it is implemented.The essence is connecting roots.


team8

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Our project is about restoring religion and reasserting the church as an important feature of a community and of religion via the deconstruction and reconstruction of the church tower. By deconstructing it, we create a scar in the city skyline, drawing people to the place the tower should be, therefore bringing it closer to the people. It then becomes a community project in which the community rebuilds the tower either the same or differently. The church then becomes a pinnacle part of the community once more through the memories and activities around the project.


Team991

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team10

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Our first intention of reorientation is not to look at the architectural structure,but the purpose of the church. As a group we feel it is not necessary tomake a spectacle out of the church (Tourist Attraction). We wish to create anobject that can change and adapt to the cultural diversity of the community.Our design needs to be relevant to the people that use it. We wish to createan internal environment within the church. The sacredness of the churchis not in dispute but the relevance of religion is. We believe that making thechurch more accessible for different activities. We can revive the church asthe heart of the community. We want to keep the initial experience of thechurch intact, and not obstruct the view with are design. Our design needsto be negotiable within the space and will have a multifunctional purpose.The Design needs to be able to grow and adapt to perform its function.

st95

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thank youantha1

The fact that abandoned places are not demolished and nobody wants to remove them means that interior architecture and architecture is more than form and materialisation. Spaces have a history, a story, a local legend, an emotion… The reorientation of churches has historically always been a point of discussion but when we look at our heritage history we see that our churches today also have a future.When I look back at our ten days of the workshop, I’ve seen all our students asking questions, working together, arguing, researching, and designing with one purpose: giving all those buildings a new future. The different nationalities, backgrounds and cultures have given them a lot of knowledge in approaches, backgrounds, and conflicts… There is not one answer for the reorientation question, but the internal discussions and the research by design became the working method and proved to be successful.First of all I would like to thank all the students for their positive cooperation and way of working. It was a tough workshop and for the ones who reached the finish line: I’m very proud of the results.Secondly I would like to thank all the people who gave a lecture, my colleagues who supported the workshop and the administration for making all this possible. A special thanks to Nele, who did not participate in the workshop, but did all the administration.It was a great experience! Thanks,Stijn Cockxorganisator ASP - workshop

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Ruth Boute & Sara Buffel.C

Education

3 year international architecture & design workshop 'Abandoned Sacred Places