Gent Waste Brick for DING

The ‘Gent Waste Brick for DING’ is a low carbon brick made from recycled municipal waste from the city of Gent. The brick has been developed for the construction of the new wing of Design Museum Gent. As part of a masterplan to transform Design Museum Gent, the museum is undertaking a major renovation project to extend its existing buildings. Due to start on site in 2025, the new wing will house galleries and event spaces to broaden the museum’s cultural programming and visitor outreach. 

To lower the embodied carbon used in the project’s construction and meet the client's brief for the new extension, a lime-cured, local waste brick has been developed and certified for use on the building’s façade. The project has been funded through a generous grant from Circular Flanders and sogent, on behalf of the City of Gent, and researched in collaboration with Design Museum Gent, sogent, Carmody Groarke, BC Materials, Local Works Studio and TRANS architects. 

The bricks have undergone a robust development process that includes testing against European Norms and consultation with the certification body for the construction sector BCCA (Belgian Construction Certification Association). Through rethinking traditional manufacturing processes, the project addresses complex issues surrounding the circular economy in construction including the viability of localised construction, availability of local resources and the testing of recycled materials. 

Key facts and figures: 

• Made from 63% recycled municipal waste aggregates from the city of Gent 
• The bricks are unfired, allowing for carbonation in atmospheric conditions and reducing the energy associated with fired brick production 
• A Gent Waste Brick has 1/3 the embodied carbon of a typical clay fired brick - Certified for use (September 2022) in construction on the external facing façade of the new wing of Design Museum Gent 
• Residents will be given the opportunity to make a brick as part of the museum’s unique engagement programme. 

The project was only made possible through the knowledge and skills of the project consultants and the support, enthusiasm and bold vision of the project clients: sogent and Design Museum Gent. 

Production

The production of the Gent Waste Bricks took place between February 19th and July 19th, 2023, at the historic Arsenaal Site, a former Flemish railway repair facility dating back to 1881. Located less than 5 km from the Design Museum Gent, the site was ideal for keeping the production close to the final construction location, minimizing transportation emissions. Two large covered halls, with a combined surface area of approximately 1,300 square meters, housed the entire production process. To support this endeavor, equipment and machinery were moved from BC materials’ site in Brussels, ensuring a seamless and local operation.

Over the course of 104 working days, two full-time workers, with the occasional help of a rotating team of 14 people, produced 82,000 blocks. The production rate ranged from 1,200 to 1,320 blocks per day, with a total of 230 tons of material produced by the end of the project. The process involved four key stages: mixing, pressing, setting, and curing. The blocks were made using low-tech, electric machinery, which included a front-loader, hydraulic press, and conveyor belts. Production was carried out with a custom-made, mobile hydraulic press mounted on a trailer, specifically designed for this type of project. This sustainable, mechanized approach allowed the production to remain efficient while maintaining a handmade quality, as each block exhibited unique characteristics despite their general uniformity in size and texture. Additionally, the production process was monitored and controlled by BCCA to ensure the quality of the blocks, reinforcing their structural integrity and durability.

The production process was also made open to the public during April and May through the “Do the Right DING” initiative, where citizens, students, and professionals could visit the site and engage in workshops and cultural activities organized by Design Museum Gent and BC studies. This program not only educated the public about sustainable construction practices but also allowed them to actively participate in making the bricks, further emphasizing the project’s community-centered approach.