Brownfields builds on the research De moord van de Vlaamse stedenbouw. After mapping this phenomenon, I focused on problematic areas along the Scheldt, which led me to Hemiksem and, more specifically, the former Bekaert site. This abandoned industrial area was demolished in 2013 and consists of 240 square meters of concrete and steel remnants. Plans exist to transform it into a residential project, “Living on the Scheldt.” However, during my research a second issue became clear: the soil has been heavily polluted with heavy metals for decades and will require fifty years of remediation.

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Together with Hanna De Mey, who also studied this site, we decided to combine our efforts and develop a master plan. Yet, during site visits and brainstorming sessions, we repeatedly arrived at the same conclusion: the most powerful intervention was to do nothing and allow nature to undertake its own healing process.

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Brownfields thus takes the form of a manifesto and a consensus. It demonstrates the added value of non-intervention, leaving the site free of predetermined functions so that people may draw inspiration from a landscape in recovery.