“Wildernis Invites” is a collaborative initiative led by Belgian and Berlin-based members of Constructlab, in partnership with the local association Wildebras.

Together with children, neighbors, and an engaged network of creatives, we aim to establish a sustainable and long-term use of Wildernis – island in the heart of Kortrijk, Belgium, where Wildebras currently operates an adventure playground for kids. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the project fosters wild play, hands-on learning, and an open process of co-creation, bringing together children, teenagers, and adults in an ever-evolving space of exploration and community building.

Playing outside is crucial for a child to grow up. A group of friends based in Kortrijk (BEL) has been working voluntarily for many years to encourage and create outdoor playgrounds for children. It is not about classically designed playgrounds, it is about ‘wild’ places where children can test their limits, learn to assess dangers and follow their way of imagination. They use various tactics to promote wild play, from play kits over self-made playgrounds and workshops to guerrilla actions in the city centre. ‘Wildebras’, which means wild child, is part of the association LZSB, based in Kortrjik (BEL). A moated homestead, surrounded by water and hidden within a little forest serves as a homebase for the organization. Most of these typical west Flemish (human-made) islands, made in the mid-19th century, were used for individual farming.

In addition to the project, the city council of Kortrijk has granted the association of Wildebras a ground lease for the entire island for the next 25 years. This perspective allows the association to preserve the site in the long term and to build sustainable structures to create a place of encounter and exchange of knowledge.

The project goes back to November 2022. ‘How to de-construct the German pavilion’ was another project by Constructlab, dedicated to the recycling of an existing wooden structure to use it for the construction of a new space in Kortrijk. This pavilion was eventually dismantled, and a big part of its wood was transferred to Wevelgem, a small city near Kortrijk, about 9km away from the island of Wildernis, where it was stored for some time.

Since then, the team had been eager to fully launch the project in Kortrijk. And while there were challenges along the way, things began to move forward again, step by step. The Cut and Paint initiative marked a kind of unofficial restart—bringing everyone together in Wevelgem to begin preparing the wood. It was a hands-on, collective effort that reignited the project’s energy.

The first step was to start building the proto-structure as a collective effort. A 24 by 6 m wide grid of wooden beams will present the basic structure. The roof and the facade will be finished during the second building phase, to ensure that the structure can be used as storage for the leftover materials as quickly as possible.

In addition, during ‘Culture Move’ the island will be accessible to the public every Wednesday and Sunday from the 30^th of April until the 18^th of May, so people are able to visit Wildernis and notice the progress of its construction.

Also several workshops will take place in the island, in smaller groups, in order to expand the structure of the pavilion, explore different uses, live on site and be part of the growing network around the space of ‘(ex)changing knowledge’.