In collaboration with BC Architects & Studies, the studio has won an international competition to redevelop the Viroinval Tannery in the beautiful Wallonia region in southern Belgium. The project aims to solidify the Tannery’s future as an eco-retreat and cultural hub within an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The brief, commissioned by developer Miss Miyagi, has called to preserve and restore the original structure whilst injecting contemporary functionality and ambition. Our approach is founded on a desire to celebrate the building’s scale and history, harnessing improved spatial flow and a stronger relationship to the site’s surrounding landscape.

Sourcing local materials such as wool, timber and stone and engaging the local community in construction workshops will root the building within its context.

A lightweight, linear ground floor extension will extend the tannery’s perimeter, with floor to ceiling glazing that will frame vistas of the national park. Internally, social spaces and sleeping quarters have been designed to prompt discourse and engagement between visitors, with camping areas and semi-outdoor social areas solidifying guests’ sense of place.