BC materials is a spin-off of BC Architects & Studies which promotes the idea of using earth-based materials and upscale it. BC materials transforms excavated earth from construction sites to local building materials such as clay plasters, compressed earth blocks and rammed earth for walls and floors.
Founded in October 2018, the R&D cooperative operates with a team of around 10 people consisting of architects, product designers, interior architects, engineers, philosophers and crafts(wo)men. The team’s mission is to spread & grow earth construction as an important solution to counter the enormous environmental impact of the construction sector.
Sonian and BC materials present their first joint design piece : a coffee table named Hors sol (above ground). Their collaboration was an obvious choice, both aesthetically and in terms of the local and sustainable values upheld by the two teams.
Brussels-based cooperatives Sonian and BC materials collaborated to design and produce a coffee table that is the first of a limited series of nine. Resulting from their expertises in woodworking and in the use of excavated earth in architecture and design, the coffee table combines a naturally patterned wooden table top and raw earth legs.
The two teams joined forces to design and produce the Hors sol table, from sketching it to assessing the technical possibilities. In a no-waste spirit, Sonian’s wood shavings were mixed with BC’s local loam to create one of a kind table legs. The resulting material was pressed to give it its cylinder shape. The table feet were then polished to make the wood appear on the surface in a unique process and a direct reference to trees rooted in the earth. For BC materials, the design piece is a human-scale demonstration of what is possible in architecture using such materials.
It was in the aftermath of their collaboration on the Belgian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2023 (curators: Bento Architecture and Vinciane Despret) that Sonian and BC materials decided to join their expertise to create a bespoke design piece together. This first gallery exhibition opens the door to other future collaborations.