A (not so)
personal
diary

“The poetic image […] is not an echo of the past. On the contrary: through the brilliance of any image, the distant past resounds with echoes.” ― Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space In the heart of an unfinished construction, where structures and forms are yet to find their completion, lies a special kind of beauty. Amidst the raw and undefined, each corner sparks our imagination, inviting our minds to complete the “picture” with our own narrative, weaved from our personal sensitivity, expectations and interpretation of what will be. In a very short and determined frame of time – in the interplay of possibility and creation - each of us can find echoes of “future” memories.

A renovation process creates this unique context where the existing becomes a protagonist, a source of both constraints and inspiration. It introduces a slow dance of patience that challenges the "out with the old, in with the new" mantra, enriching space with deeper meaning. As is often the case, constraints invite us to reevaluate what we have. And as is often the case, what we already have isn’t just sufficient but sometimes full of untapped potential, ready to be discovered and exploited. Circularity is more than trendy response to our contemporary crisis; it's a forgotten wisdom in our haste for newness. It's not about quick wins and time spare but but about weaving some depth into our environment and a sense of belonging.

Work advances on our future workspace and while we take great pleasure in the process, we can’t help to show also some nostalgy for having to say good bye to our temporary façade installation. The collective experience we generated with an expressive introduction to our neighbours is an essential ingredient for us in the further development of the project. Even though the façade will be properly dressed with new windows in couple of months, we hope the invitation to dialogue and participation left a trace in the memory of the neighbourhood. One we promise to continue to feed. Photo by Beatriz Amann

We invited our neighbours to meet… and they came! Curious about who we are and what we’re up to, we talked, we warmed up with a cup of tea and shared some thoughts. This get-together marks the start of our new adventure as we will be soon moving into our own tailor-made workspace, that encapsulates our spirit, expertise, and culture. Community building and integration in the municipality are high on our agenda, stay tuned. Photo by minHuy (Huy Nguyen)

Dear neighbors, This is our future workspace. We are architects and designers, we don't just enjoy working, we'd also love to welcome you to join us to share a meal, coffee, and some stories * * once we've tidied up the place We dropped a message to introduce ourselves to the neighbourhood in Molenbeek, on the building that will house our new offices and other complementary functions. Illustrations by Ola Sadownik Text by Madalina Anghelescu Installation by the contractor B@home Photo by minHuy (Huy Nguyen)