EVENT – Label BMA

Between 2022 and 2024, the BMA Label supported 9 unsolicited proposals emerging from civil society, research and professional practice. Thanks to funding, guidance and visibility new ideas for Brussels could take shape.

Today, BMA invites you to the exhibition on BARCA, a project by Basil Descheemaeker developed within the framework of the 2023 BMA Label. BARCA explores the potential of recycled concrete aggregates from Brussels construction sites as a local and circular alternative to the raw materials commonly used in the design of streets, squares and public spaces.

While Brussels demolishes large quantities of concrete every year and continues to import aggregates from outside the Region, BARCA asks a simple question: can the materials of yesterday’s city become the resources of tomorrow’s city?

Combining technical, territorial and cultural perspectives, the project connects actors from the demolition, recycling and construction sectors to imagine a genuine circular supply chain for mineral materials at the scale of Brussels. Developed in collaboration with several industry partners, BARCA also explores the role that design and representation can play in encouraging new reuse practices.

From 14 to 17 October, BARCA will be presented to the public through an exhibition and a video installation created together with Séverin Malaud, offering an immersion into the material flows that shape our urban environment.