Into the Field, a Four Seasons Assignment
Design Academy Eindhoven’s The Morning Studio, led by Studio Leader Thomas Lommée, initiator of OpenStructures, collaborated with TimeLab and Smissenbroek.
“Design is a balancing act with time. Apart from material, socio-economical and environmental considerations and their interactions, time is a (often overlooked) decisive element in the design of sustainable proposals. The world changes. Things change. Life changes, the weather changes, the seasons change, the climate changes, cultures change... What is useful one day may not be the next.” – Theresa and Archibald, tutors Four Seasons Assignment.
Second and third year DAE students had the opportunity to study at Smissenbroek, an ecological experience park, with the support of their collaborator, TimeLab. Both Smissenbroek and TimeLab are located just outside Ghent, Belgium. The project began with a site visit to Smissenbroek in Oosterzele, where the students would carry out their work.
Smissenbroek is a large ecological park committed to becoming entirely self-sufficient. It is a place where schools, businesses, and individuals come to reconnect with nature. The park offers neighbouring communities opportunities to participate in activities with locals, such as workshops on composting or cooking with local produce. It serves as a hub for communities to come together and learn practical, hands-on skills.
The second collaborator, Timelab, focuses on fostering spatial resilience. It operates not just as a physical space but also as a cultural, social, and intellectual environment, providing time and space to explore complex societal issues. It specialises in breaking down intricate concepts into practical ideas that local communities can understand and implement. Acting as a dramaturg, TimeLab connects multiple cultural sectors to drive meaningful conversations.
Through this collaboration, students analysed local waste flows to determine whether these materials could be transformed into useful products for on-site use. This included investigating how production processes could occur locally and what types of installations might need to be developed to support these processes. The students explored questions such as, “How will this affect the local ecosystem?” At TimeLab, they attended a biomaterials workshop and used the space to collaborate, share insights, and solve complex problems.
“At TimeLab, we are accustomed to working with complex issues, seen from a multitude of perspectives. Collaborating with The Morning Studio, we were impressed not only with the wide variety of interests and personal points-of-view with which the students approached topics, but especially how these individual approaches could be woven into a wider and more complex understanding of the site we were investigating. This was reinforced during the final presentation at Nieuwe Zwanenburg. By collaboratively curating and organising their own projects – seasonally and thematically – the students professionally presented a collective vision built through personal responses.” Jesse Howard, TimeLab.
The students brought new individual perspectives to a current long-term project, even making the owners of Smissenbroek reevaluate past work done.
“The academic side was a real discovery for me, all of your feedback on their work inspires me to rethink the way I work here.” Isabelle d’Ursel, Owner of Smissenbroek.
The students began their assignment by sketching the site, taking photographs and videos, and conducting interviews. This collaborative research enabled them to see all aspects of Smissenbroek, understanding its systems holistically, which directly influenced their individual projects.
Students, Manon Vincent and Liza Sokolova designed an umbrella kit titled 'My mother used to be a Tree' that encouraged users to look at the environment differently, harvest natural materials to craft their own umbrella, and use it all within the same ecosystem. Others, Leo and Iggy developed a biodegradable felt-like material from cattail flower heads, which they used to produce a pair of house shoes.
Student Eva Van Caem also worked with cattail flower heads on her individual project, titled Cattail Comfort: Natural Insulation Redefined, where she transformed the insulating properties of Narrowleaf Cattail into sustainable wall panels that enhance thermal comfort.
“Collaborating with Smissenbroek and Timelab showed me the power of tangible, place-based design. Working with real people and a real property grounded our process, ensuring that our innovations were not just conceptual but deeply connected to those who would use them. In turn, we added fresh perspectives to Timelab’s open-source archive and filled some specific needs that Isabelle at Smissenbroek had.” Eva Van Caem, 3rd year student at The Morning Studio.
The final output was a curated exhibition of their work, held in a large shed at Nieuw Zwanenburg in Oisterwijk, including a guide that featured tools and products. The guide was printed on sustainable materials, aligning with TimeLab’s principles of circular design and waste reduction. This collaboration between Design Academy Eindhoven’s The Morning Studio, Smissenbroek, and TimeLab fostered innovative, personal, and problem-solving approaches. It provided unique perspectives not just for the collaborators but also for potential businesses and organisations.
DAE students offer businesses fresh insights, shaped by their lived experiences in the Anthropocene and their expertise in sustainability and circular design. Taught by trailblazing tutors, the students challenge conventional approaches, often disrupting the status quo to propose creative, forward-thinking solutions.
By partnering with DAE, collaborators gain access to an internationally recognised school that allows them to showcase their work to a global audience aligned with sustainable values. TimeLab’s acknowledgement of the students’ ability to blend diverse perspectives into cohesive ideas highlights the value of such partnerships. Smissenbroek, too, reevaluated its own methods following the collaboration. Businesses working with Design Academy Eindhoven unlock new creative opportunities, strengthen community ties, and position themselves as leaders in sustainability. The Morning Studio’s collaboration with Smissenbroek and TimeLab exemplifies how academic-industry partnerships can drive meaningful, impactful change.
