Hasselt University students have built a wooden pavilion in collaboration with BC Materials from reclaimed materials in Helchteren, Belgium. 

Named Building Beyond Pastorie Pavilion, the 25-square-metre pavilion was developed and built as a part of the Postgraduate Program Building Beyond Borders.

This program edition analyzed participatory design in architecture and the application of bio-based, geo-based, and reclaimed materials.

The intervention occupied a place in the garden of De Pastorie, an old vicarage located in Helchteren, Belgium. The vicarage had lain unused for several years, but the local community seeks to revitalize this building and establish a lively community center. 

The village required a venue for locals to gather, arrange different events, and foster feelings of pride and belonging. As a first step in the transformation of de Pastorie, participants in Building Beyond Borders were assigned the task of reactivating its garden.

Months of research and community meetings led to the emergence of a design consisting of two components: a pavilion located deep within the garden and an earth oven positioned nearer to the Pastorie, acting as a prominent landmark visible from the street.

Students and local residents of the Helchteren community collaborated closely to bring the design to life. Aside from its participatory character, the project underscored the importance of both the materials used and their sourcing methods.

The pavilion and oven were both built on foundations made from reclaimed materials recovered from buildings slated for demolition as part of road redevelopment. The pavilion’s wooden framework was constructed from salvaged wood, while the roof was made with local timber. 

Compressed earth bricks were used to build the bench, while moulded earth bricks served as the main material for the oven, which was completed with a lime plaster protective layer. 

The design is reversible and minimizes environmental impact, as no concrete was poured into the ground, and the rest of the structure can be easily deconstructed.

This initiative highlights the significance of thoughtful material use and community involvement for creating a genuinely sustainable future. 

It exemplifies how architecture can be environmentally responsible and socially inclusive, promoting resilient communities that are well-connected to their natural and built environments.

Site Axonometic 

Axo Pavillon

Floor plan

Section Pavilion

Section Oven

Elevation

Project facts

Project name: Project: Building Beyond Pastorie (Garden pavilion and Earth oven)

Location: Helchteren, Belgium 

Year: 2024

Dimensions/ Oven: Base: 1.5x1.5m, Height: 4m

Dimensions/ Pavilion: Base: 5x5m, Height: 4.5m, Surface/ Area: 25 m2

Client: Municipality Houthalen-Helchteren

Design & Build: Building Beyond Borders postgraduate certificate 2023-2024, UHasselt

Design & Build team: Louise Daussy, Nils Fischer, Saumya Saishree, Olga Srejic, Nena Aru, Sharon De Levi, Artemis Korovesi, Lavinia de Carolis, Sadia Siddiqui, Rani De Becker, Eva Vangeldorp, Lilla Starkbauer, Anna Breuer, Sarah Prooth, Maria Belén Cumbal Portilla, Ramses Parijs.

Academic supervisors: Nicolas Coeckelberghs, Liesbeth Huybrechts, Elke Knapen, Rafael Passarelli, John Silvertand, Jasper Van der Linden, and Peggy Winkels.

In collaboration with: the Faculty of Architecture and Arts of UHasselt, VLAIO Living Lab on Earth Blocks, and BC Materials.

Supported by: the Municipality Houthalen-Helchteren, De Werkvennootschap, Friends of the Pastorie and Deholi.

Funding: Faculty of Architecture and Arts of UHasselt and The Living Lab Circular Economy “Application of Earth Blocks in Practice" funded by VLAIO, the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the NextGeneration EU fund of the European Commission.

All photographs © Olmo Peeters / © Building Beyond Borders postgraduate certificate 2023-2024, UHasselt

Drawings © Louise Daussy, Nils Fischer.

> via Hasselt University

Hasselt University material pavilion