Gent Waste brick for DING wins gold!
Henry van de Velde Environment Gold Award 25 for our circular facing brick
Gent Waste Brick for DING is a circular facing brick, made 63% from waste residues from Gent and accounting for only one third of the CO₂ emissions of a baked brick.
So happy! Last night, our circular facing brick won gold in the Design Research Environment category and silver in the Design Research category at the Henry van de Velde Awards 25 in BOZAR. Given the many high-quality entries, this was certainly no mean feat.
The research and production process of the circular facing brick was a real group effort of Design Museum Gent, sogent, the architects Carmody Groarke and ATAMA, Local Works Studio and BC materials. Good for a large delegation in the Henry Le Boeuf hall in BOZAR, who took to the stage with particular enthusiasm to receive the trophy for the Henry van de Velde Environment Gold Award 25.
The jury report was very clear: ‘Rarely has the match between client, challenge, process and outcome felt so right. Gent Waste Brick for DING managed to develop a brick that does not involve baking with a thorough research. They also mapped their process meticulously and made it transparent so that it could be shared widely with Ghent citizens. In one move, they have put the Design Research discipline in the broad spotlight. Leading by example.’
Thanks to the courage and vision of the city of Ghent, Design Museum Gent and the architectural team, we were able to prove that you can produce a very local facing brick in the city, with waste flows from Ghent and with much less negative impact than an ordinary facing brick.
Ken De Cooman, CEO of BC materials
Gent Waste Brick for DING is a circular facade brick that is currently being mortared for the new museum wing DING of Design Museum Gent. The brick is made of lime, sand, white cement and 63% raw materials derived from waste streams from Ghent, i.e. broken concrete and crushed construction glass. It is a unique white facing brick with a special texture, based on a ‘clean’ production using as little fossil energy as possible. After extensive research, the design team chose pressed rather than fired bricks because of their lower CO2 impact. The Gent Waste Brick emits 66% less CO2 than a conventional brick. The production process involves mixing the raw materials, pressing, curing and drying the bricks.
The research to develop this circular facing brick was funded by a grant from Flanders Circular/OVAM and sogent, on behalf of the City of Ghent. Design Museum Gent, sogent, architects Carmody Groarke and ATAMA, Local Works Studio and BC materials carried out the research work together.
The stone was produced locally in Ghent last year at Het Arsenaal by BC materials with financial support from ERDF. In April and May, the public could experience this production during Do the Right DING. Since last week, bricklaying has effectively started. Anyone passing by in Drabstraat can now view the facing brick in all its glory.
The Henry van de Velde Awards, organised by Flanders DC, showcase and award not only Flemish designers, companies and authorities who use design intelligently, but also products, services and systems with a positive impact on society, the environment and the economy. In doing so, these awards emphasise the important social role of designers and their clients. They set the lines for the future and provide us with smart and meaningful solutions to current problems.
The Environment category rewards research, systems, services and products that address complex environmental issues from a collaborative approach and bring society closer to a solution or make it better able to deal with the problem. The Design Research category awards meaningful, inspiring and visionary scenarios and concepts.