In partnership with the Dallas collective, we plan to take over the garden in 2025, as part of the CRU6 urban renewal contract, to reopen it to residents.
This initiative takes the form of a two-year occupation, aimed at transforming the vacant lot into a space for intercultural encounters, growing edible plants, and recreational activities for neighborhood children. The year is punctuated by key events, during which the garden becomes a participatory worksite for building infrastructure: raised beds, a pond, a cistern, a tool shed, a new fence, a greenhouse, a rocket stove… The rest of the time, open hours on Mondays allow residents to come and enjoy the garden, harvest herbs and vegetables, host a barbecue, or chat with neighbors.
My role involves landscaping the site and enriching the soil in preparation for planting fruit trees, annuals, and perennials. During the first year, we created forest-style planting mounds using dead wood from the municipality of Molenbeek, planted a forest garden section featuring unusual fruit trees or those brought in by residents, and set up a micro-nursery. Our projects for 2026 center on building a greenhouse, a tool shed, a pond, and an outdoor kitchen.
I’m also using this plot to develop a permanent prototype of my rocket stove, as a continuation of my research on “La Station,” which won the NEB 2024 award.
