Elezelles

In collaboration with NORD and Label architecture, Plant en Houtgoed developed a scenographic landscape concept for the adaptive reuse of a former school site into a folk heritage museum in Ellezelles.

The rural landscape of Pays des Collines serves as a central design driver. The project embeds architecture within its environment, emphasising continuity with the existing urban and ecological fabric. Landscape is not a backdrop but a curatorial element in the visitor experience.

The design concept draws on local botanical heritage and the symbolic potential of plants. Instead of replicating nearby institutions—such as the Plant Academy (Lanquesaint), the House of Medicinal Plants (Flobecq), and the Notre-Dame à la Rose Herb Garden (Lessines)—this project aims to be complementary, engaging with regional knowledge networks through a distinct lens.

Ellezelles, known for its folklore surrounding witches and seasonal festivals, provides a unique narrative opportunity. The project centres on the theme of “magical plants”—species rooted in myth, ritual, and symbolic meaning—using them to connect nature, imagination, and cultural identity.

Conclusion:
 By weaving together local ecology, ethnobotany, and folklore, the museum landscape becomes a sensorial and symbolic experience, where plants function as mediators between people, place, and myth.