MASEREEL

Since the autumn of 2024, we are getting ready for construction work on the new artists’ pavilion that will be inaugurated on the site of our arts center in mid-2026. As a result, our residency programmes are temporarily suspended.

The new pavilion forms one of the pilot projects in the Green Deal Circular Building of the Flemish Government. The new residential unit will accommodate up to 26 people and reconciles collectivity with compactness.

Designers U/Define (Bruges) and Frantzen et al (Amsterdam), supported by study agencies TECH3 (techniques), Denkbar (stability), Kubiek (EPB) and landscape architect Aldrik Heirman, worked in co-creation with MASEREEL, Agency Facility Management and Department of Culture, Youth and Media on the redevelopment of our residential zone over the past few years.

The extraordinary result is a compact no-nonsense building, with space for creativity, intimacy and rest. A hint to the past with an openness to future memories.

Follow our progress here:

January 5, 2026: winter on the construction site

A thick layer of snow briefly placed the new building in a quiet winter setting. The contours of the pavilion stand out clearly against the white landscape. As soon as the weather permits, work on the exterior landscaping will resume.

November 24, 2025: finishing touches gradually in sight

The work on the artist pavilion is progressing smoothly, both in terms of preparation and execution, as well as follow-up.

On the construction site, the technical installations are currently being finalized, the exterior walls are being clad with reclaimed slates, and the spaces are gradually taking on their final form, making the building as a whole visibly take shape.

During the site meetings, various practical and aesthetic decisions are being further refined. This includes the placement of emergency lighting in combination with fire extinguishers, the operation of access control with badge readers, the installation method for the terrace planks, and the selection of materials such as wall tiles for the kitchen and curtains for the mini-apartments. Step by step, this process is leading to a carefully finished, functional, and inviting pavilion.

We look forward to sharing the first images of the landscaping and further finishing soon!

September 30, 2025: watertight and windproof

At the end of September, the highest point of the artists’ pavilion was reached. The building is now completely watertight and windproof, and the compartmentalisation of the mini-apartments is clearly visible.

Inside, work is continuing apace on the finishing touches and the installation of technical systems such as the heat pump, electricity, ventilation, fire detection and network facilities. These steps are essential to ensure that the building is comfortable and functional when it is handed over.

September 16, 2025: we’re going up

In just a few weeks, the work has progressed significantly, thanks to the excellent preparation and cooperation of the various professional teams. The roof will be installed soon. If you look closely, you can even see the first windows appearing on the ground floor and first floor.

August 18, 2025: ground floor layout

The first of three layers of our new artist pavilion is gradually taking shape! The rectangular concrete base has now been polished and an elegant, circular (terrace) structure has been built around it, which will soon form an inviting transition between inside and outside.

This ground floor level will accommodate both a well-equipped communal kitchen and a lively, multipurpose seating area where future residents can meet and collaborate. In addition, an elegant mini-apartment will be built on the ground floor, designed entirely according to the principles of Integral Accessibility. The remaining eight mini-apartments are planned for the first and second floors.

June 11, 2025: pouring concrete floor slab

Whereas in recent weeks the site was prepared for construction, today – literally – the foundations were laid for our new artists’ pavilion. As prophetic as it was unconscious, the mixer pump at the concrete plant formed the first letter of our new name – MASEREEL.

What seemed like a rough construction site just a few weeks ago is now increasingly taking on the contours of a real place. With this solid foundation, we are moving on to the next phase of construction: the vertical structure and the first contours of the interior spaces.

January 20, 2025

After reviewing all bids, the Facility Management Company of the Flemish Government selected the Kempen contractor Vanhout.pro. On January 20, 2025, all involved met for the first time and a preliminary planning was discussed. In March, the contractor will start with preparatory works on the site, in order to prepare the site for construction from April. During the summer, the ground slab will rise and then the new artists’ pavilion can be built layer by layer. The intention is to deliver the yard, including exterior landscaping, in the spring of 2026. Afterwards, work will begin on the interior design (and a big inauguration party). We keep our fingers crossed for as little weather delay as possible – and wish the contractor and his team a prosperous, and safe, progress!

January 13, 2025

As part of sustainable forest management, and in cooperation with Bosgroep Kempen-Noord, a large number of conifers were uprooted at the back of our site in early January. The trees will be replaced by new, native deciduous trees in March 2025.
The wood from the uprooted trees will be partially recovered for the creation of a sculpture by Wim Cuyvers as part of our brand new RHIZOMA biennial.

September 1 – November 30, 2024:
“…, een dag, een nacht, een dag, …”

This autumn, at the invitation of director Stijn Maes, five contemporary artists – Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Hana Miletić, Natasja Mabesoone, Raimundas Malašauskas and Vaast Colson – are staying one last time in our A-shaped artists’ houses. Instead of a classic exhibition, we thereby initiate a discursive section with each of them, with a specific focus on the essence and potential of art.

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August 2, 2024: farewell last group of residents

Today we said goodbye to the 9 artists who officially stayed in the A-shaped artists’ houses as the last group of residents: Roel Goussey, Bert Lezy, Daisy Madden-Wells, Jake Caleb, Julie Cetti, Marie Cloquet, Emile Van Helleputte, Hamza Halloubi and Robin Vermeersch. Roel Goussey was among both the first and last residents of our triangular accommodations and paid homage to architect Lou Jansen and the many artists who stayed in the A-shaped artists’ houses over the past decades with a screen-printed edition.

March 24, 2024: tribute to the A-houses

During Open Masereel, we paid tribute with a limited-scale research exhibition to the A-shaped artists’ houses that have been an essential part of MASEREEL since 1972. Over the past five decades, these iconic lodges, designed by Lou Jansen, have welcomed around 60 to 100 creatives and their families every year: artists, researchers, critics, academics and students found a place to create, reflect, meet and explore new artistic directions here. The individual houses were also a source of inspiration for several residents themselves. This was reflected, among others, in the works of Bertha Haak (1944-2021), which we rediscovered in our collection and presented for the first time.

April 29, 2023: presentation new pavilion

On Saturday, April 29, designers U/Define (Bruges) and Frantzen et al (Amsterdam) presented their plans for the new artists’ pavilion to local inhabitans and future residents for the first time.