Alter collective

21/09/2026

21/09/2026

ROOTING ON A CONCRETE SLAB
, Brussels, Summer 2025
3/3

The remaining concrete slab of the former CCN building forms an exposed rooftop, where rainwater gathers in shallow basins and depressions—our starting point for shaping new terrains for the temporary public activation of Place Noord. The uneven concrete surface creates a range of harsh conditions. In its lower and wetter areas, small accumulations of soil, dust, and organic matter are gradually carried and deposited by wind and water, creating the minimal conditions for the first species to take root.

The landscape intervention consists of a test of adding rubble and small amounts of leftover soil, with different grain sizes to retain, filter, or redirect water and gradually shape conditions for future layers of growth. Here, plants will grow not in the comfort of rich soil, but in the raw, shifting conditions that may define tomorrow’s cities.

The first season is conceived as a test ground: a minimal intervention to initiate a process of inhabitation and transformation, rather than to produce a finished landscape. It is about setting the ground—allowing soil to gradually build up, for plants to settle, and for successive layers to form the conditions for the seasons to come. Nature emerges, open to change and gradual inhabitation.

Over the summer, plantings were made in this unlikely ground as part of the ongoing process of testing what can settle and grow here.

From this, we ask: What other forms of nature and of the city can emerge?

Design and ex*****on led by Alter in collaboration with landscapers Johanna Bendlin , Lara De Schutter , Sotiria Kornaropoulou .

Project curated by Pauline Omnes Pauline Omnes and supported by PLACE NOORD.

Photos 2,4,5

SUPER-POWERFUL VOLUNTEERS
Danil
Marion Marion Marie Noé Bie
Matilda
Monica
Len
Ilyas ilyas
Gianni Walkscapes
Felix felix schröder
Elke
Siene siene vanesser
Sander
Jonathan
Arthur
Michele
Joséphine
Pierre Orts
Islay Cassels Islay Cassels

Thanks for trusting the process.

21/09/2026

BANK DAY BED
3/4

Born from precious finishing materials sourced last autumn from Marcel Lambrichs’ historic De Ligne building (formerly the Dexia bank), this piece is a study in instinctive design.

Curved wooden elements that once followed the shape of the building were carefully removed from the walls and placed horizontally on a base made from repurposed metal lockers from AB concert hall. To preserve the original components and allow for easy disassembly, the elements are assembled with minimal cutting, relying on a fully mechanical assembly.

The object functions as seating or a daybed to support resident artists and visitors discovering a new exhibition. Two daybeds were specifically designed to be joined together into one giant daybed to create a large surface for shared uses, gathering, resting, and partying.

Sourced and made for Reset Atelier

Thanks for trusting the process
Abrupt Reset Atelier Brussels House Milan hub.brussels milan design week 2026

 

21/09/2026

BUTTE POTAGÈRE

SIP.26 (a)ménager le parc des Résédas
March 2026
1/4

Located in a community garden for social housing residents in Anderlecht, the design of the butte potagère and its seating was first tested with a full-size mock-up in front of the workshop. The construction started with foundations made of a trench filled with reclaimed rubble and colored mortar. On this solid base, a low wall of 315 reused bricks was built to carefully outline the future planting and resting areas.

The internal layout is based on a concept by Plant en Houtgoed and Aymeric Bey. It required laying down gravel and a geotextile fabric for drainage, before adding clean soil in the center. This system makes it possible to grow vegetables on a site with polluted soil: it allows rainwater to drain while completely preventing the clean soil from mixing with the polluted ground around it.

The bad soil dug up for the foundations could not be used for growing plants, so it was smartly reused to fill and shape the seating areas. The construction finished by pouring a layer of lime, which was then sanded down to reveal a beautiful irregular pattern embedded with marble fragments.

facultearchitectureulb .architecture

Pauline
Jenifer ALBERT
Eduard ANGHELESCU
Yasmine BAHIJ
Gizem Gigi
Eva .grdno
Klaudia Klaudia Bojar
Anouk

Idris
Fiona DALLA VEDOVA
Ines Inès HUNTER
Julia Julia 🦥
Lucas
Yasmina yasmina
Joe Joe Job
Danny KABAMBA
Asha .kat
Ahmed 𝒜𝒷𝒹ℴ𝓊
Sacha .martineau
Leyth L E Y O C A L I S
Léa .msl
Jade dr.swagg .natier
Sarah
Ambre najariambre
Laura Laura Oosterbosch
Rafael Raf
Clothilde 🇵🇸
Maëlys Maely$
Fatima
Morgane Mo
Fatoumata
James 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬
Clementine clem ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
Maya
Marjane .brts
Sidonie
Elvan .elvan
Fiona
Louise louise de Koning
Eva .bc
Jen

Aymeric BEY Aymeric Bey
F***y CALMELS
Sara CARUSO Sara Caruso

Reportage video Archi Urbain by Mister Emma

21/09/2026

A BIG PICNIC TABLE

When few students from Tokyo’s Waseda University visited Brussels for one week, alter organised a workshop to build a picnic table in two days.

The design is a fresh take on Donald Judd’s 1982 Pergola Table 23. But here, the table is built from found materials: an old wooden tabletop, and half-log benches resting on concrete blocks. Everything is held together by perpendicular truss beams from reuse Meranti plywood sheets from BatiTerre , using simple notch joints.

Over two days, the Japanese students, joined by some motivated students from ULB La Cambre Horta, sanded, treated, cut, carved, and assembled the parts.

At the end, a fire pit was also built just in time for the closing drinks.

Thanks for trusting the process.
facultearchitectureulb .lab
Geoffrey Grulois
Tanaka Sensei

WESEDA STUDENTS
Ei
Riku Kanemitsu
Shunki Hirata
Yuta Masuda

ULB STUDENTS
Arnaud
Fatima Zahra
Quentin .dh19
Marjane .brts

21/09/2026

BIG TABLES

Place noord, Brussels, Summer 2025
2/3

35,000 m² of bare concrete and wind. A new gathering point in the middle of the Northern District towers.
The installation consists of two main tables. A high table for standing and a lower one with steps made from Coliseum reclaimed concrete blocks. All surfaces are « Vetisol Cristo » terrazzo slabs from RotorDC , durable materials chosen to last.

The construction is straightforward and the structure can be completely disassembled: no glue or screws required. The entire structure is held together by gravity, stacking, and black tension straps, making it easy to take apart and move to another location.

The long size of the tables unlocks a vast social potential, allowing for multiple uses: from hosting barbecues and community events for the district to serving as a catwalk for events or a setting for cosy dinners.

Success depended entirely on the Alter community and the volunteers. It took a massive collective effort to move, stack, and strap these tons of material into place.

Participants

Danil
Marion Marion Marie Noé Bie
Matilda @
Monica
Len @
Ilyas ilyas
Gianni Walkscapes
Felix felix schröder
Pooja MissPoojSherchan🧸
Elke
Antonia
Sara sara
Yu Shan Chen 陈钰珊
Siene siene vanesser
Sander
Arthur
Michele
Joséphine
Pierre Orts
Islay Islay Cassels
Jonathan Cludts

Curator

Sourced and made for PLACE NOORD

Thanks for trusting the process.

RotorDC Rotor Coliseum industrialkonzept Dezeen paradeigma

21/09/2026

CONVERSATION PIT
3/5

More than just a piece of furniture, this is the heart of the new Reset Atelier HQ.
By removing the raised floor of this exhibition space, alter uncovered a hidden new level.
Far from a standard sofa : old ventilation boxes serve as backrests, while the carpet finish wraps the entire structure to create a convivial sunken space.

Sourced and made for Reset Atelier

Thanks for trusting the process
Abrupt Reset Atelier

Picture 9 Blithe