Materialenbank – Atelier Circuler (MB)(BE)

The Materialenbank Leuven is an initiative founded in 2020 and operated by Atelier Circuler. It entails a physical store of reclaimed materials. They have set up a larger network with the aim of redirecting and revalorizing material flows which were previously discarded as waste.

• August Smessaert
• Eva Soeteart

Main task in the project:

The Materialenbank is an essential partner in the project. Their pioneering work in urban mining and bringing reclaimed materials back into the market in symbiosis with city of Leuven, plays a central role in circular construction ecosystem. The Materialenbank will hence function the physical location for one of the living labs and as a central node in the ecosystem to learn how stakeholders' interactions are and can be shaped by creating and sharing the right information. The Materialenbank will hence be available both as the physical location for one of the three living labs and as the background setting to learn how stakeholders’ interactions are and can be shaped by creating and sharing the right information. To enhance these roles towards the project, the staff will be available for consultation by the researchers who need information on collaborations and exchanges and will provide access to the building for the researchers to allow them to observe the business operations.