deelfabriek : part 1

From medieval times to the early 20th century, Kortrijk was the flax capital of Belgium. The slowing of the textile industry and its surrounding trades saw Kortrijk follow suit, undergoing a period of economic decline.

We wanted to visit Deelfabriek, an old fire station that was repurposed into a community hub (design by ATAMA).

Deelfabriek, which means “share and repair factory,” is an endeavor by the Municipality of Kortrijk. Built in partnership with non-profit and volunteer organizations, Deelfabriek’s journey from fire station to under-used storage warehouse, to collaborative and multi-functional civic building, was inspired by a vision of many social enterprises on one site. This initiative focused not on ownership but on making, repairing, swapping and sharing.

Deelfabriek has many facets and is organized :

Along the street :

1) New market hall / event space / restaurant

2) Small work spaces

3) Small offices and administration

4) Municipal cleaning and equipment storage

Inner courtyard :

1) New outdoor shared space for gatherings, festivals and pop-ups

Along the inner courtyard :

1) Small and big workshops and store with their own entrance and a communal stockroom

a) self-help workshops for bike repair, sewing repair

b) a tool, materials and fabric library

c) swap shop for second-hand clothes

d) share shops for children’s toys, books, board games and strollers

e) grocery store / pet supplies for excess items or best before dates (donated by nearby supermarkets)

Along Main Street :

1) Furniture repair workshop

deelfabriek : part 2

One of the social enterprises in Deelfabriek is Stal13, a furniture workshop that aims to use the act of making as a way of improving lives.

Stal13 offers small furniture repair and re-finishing, giving old furniture a second chance.

The people working in this workshop are referred by OCMW Kortrijk (City of Kortrijk Neighborhood-Oriented Social Work). A few already have woodworking experience, but many are trained on site. There are people in varying and transitional phases of life, including new immigrants who have been displaced from Ukraine.

Stal13 is not in an industrial park; its workshop peeks out from a large garage door amid commercial and residential buildings.

Being located on a Main Street, close to transit and in proximity to a domestic residential neighborhood gives this furniture repair workshop an opportunity to become something more.

While the act of making can be positive, therapeutic and perhaps open pathways towards a livelihood, an open garage door onto a busy neighborhood street also encourages conversation, interaction and a means of being visible.