BROEI - On The Move
On The Move is a continuation of the modularly designed and built structures during three residencies at the Duivelsteen in Ghent for BROEI, between 2019 and 2022. ConstructLab designed the ‘connector’ there; an effective connector that combines the versatility of scaffolding connections with affordable wooden profiles.
Our architectural interventions were carefully dismantled from the Duivelsteen, moved through Ghent, redesigned and rebuilt in BROEI’s new space at Nieuwland in Ghent. New offices and storage spaces were realised from a wooden mezzanine construction that could be reused on site. We also made a prototype for a concert soundbox out of two shipping containers that were cut open with blood, sweat and grinding wheels. No new wood was ordered.
Fabriek Akoestiek was a week-long open laboratory at BROEI, aiming to align architecture and acoustics – an experiment in making sound tangible and physical in relation to matter and bodies. The architectural intervention involved adding a sound-insulating shell at the core of the industrial building in which BROEI is located. The acoustic context includes the sounds around the building: motorbikes pulling up at intersections, birds building nests, raindrops tapping on drainpipes, televisions broadcasting Middle East news into the streets, police helicopters looking for possible corrupt cops, and dogs barking as if they don’t know any better (they are just doing their best too).
Fabriek Akoestiek
Acoustics were made visible during walks and construction moments by visually translating found sounds into imagined scores on checkout paper, using soldering irons. At the beginning of each day, acoustics were made physical through body exercises. These visual and physical ‘scores’ of acoustics were applied with a pyrograph to the wooden main beam of the isolation room, aligning the sound sources with their counterpart: the isolator. In this way, ConstructLab tried to capture the ubiquitous presence of acoustics for one week, only to let it vibrate wildly and freely in BROEI’s spaces over the coming seasons.
