Our Belgian Design pages look at Lionel Jadot’s ‘common concept’ which has produced something very much out of the ordinary
In September 2018, Brussels designer Lionel Jadot opened Zaventem Ateliers, which he installed in a 6000 square metre, nineteenth-century paper factory in the centre of Zaventem, near Brussels.
The daring project was realised by means of an ambitious and visionary renovation and transformation of the building, which had been abandoned for over 40 years, into a contemporary arts and crafts centre.
Zaventem Ateliers contain 32 workshops, ranging from 80 to 400 m² in size, dedicated to the production and transformation of materials, communal leisure areas, a surprising terrace and in the near future also a new restaurant concept intended as a laboratory, which is in keeping with the spirit of the property.
At the heart of Zaventem Ateliers, visitors can now find the ‘Grand Hall’, a central, communal, 800 m² lane dedicated to ‘showcases’ and exhibitions. This exhibition space has a dual purpose: on the one hand, the ‘showcases’ put the different craftsmen in the spotlight who are active in the building, on the other hand it will also house a few autonomous exhibitions that are currently being prepared. Creative director and co-founder of the Base Design agency, Dimitri Jeurissen, will be its first curator.
Lionel Jadot conceived Zaventem Ateliers as a meeting space around ‘a common concept’: to allow craftsmen, designers and other creative minds to inspire each other.
Today, almost all workshops are occupied by a group of exceptional craftsmen, working with ceramics, leather, metal, marble or wood. They hail from Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Ostend and even Paris. There is a pleasant village atmosphere and, together, all these very different personalities form an eclectic and stimulating group.
The workshops:
Alexandre Lowie Alfa Brussels by Goldwood Studio
Atelier 185/ Clem Vanhee
Atelier Arno Declercq
Atelier Ben Storms
Ateliers Charles Schambourg / Nacarat
Atelier Lionel Jadot
Atelier Sophie Coucke
Atelier Thomas Serruys
Zaventem Ateliers
Fabriekstraat 15/19
1930 Zaventem
Workshops can be visited by appointment
Tel: 02 538 0593
www.zaventemateliers.com
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