Lionel Jadot converts former military barracks into Jam Hotel Ghent

Studio Lionel Jadot has transformed a former military barracks in Ghent, Belgium, into a hotel featuring peeling plaster on the walls and furniture made from reclaimed materials.

The Ghent hotel is the latest destination from the Jam Hotels brand, which prioritises sustainability through the use of salvaged objects and local production.

Having previously worked on projects for Jam in Brussels and Lisbon, Studio Lionel Jadot was tasked with converting the building in Ghent's Arts Quarter into a 108-room hotel.

The hotel, which was originally the gatehouse of the early 20th-century Leopold Barracks, forms part of a complex of buildings arranged around a parade ground.

Brussels-based architecture firm B2Ai oversaw the restoration of the building's structure, which retains its thick walls, romantically-styled battlements, corner towers and embrasures.

Lionel Jadot's studio applied its Realistic Circle system to the project, which involves reusing found materials and collaborating with local artisans to craft contextually specific solutions.

More than 40 designers, makers and artists based within a 50-kilometre radius of the hotel were involved in shaping the interiors.

According to partner and designer Louise Michiels, the main objective was to create an evolving space with the feel of an artist's workshop.

"The Leopold Barracks already carries a long timeline, and we wanted to respect that," she told Dezeen. "The idea was to add new functions while making as few changes as possible."

"Instead of covering or correcting the space, we let the existing layers remain. The passage of time was already written in the walls, so our role was to work with that story rather than erase it."

The initial stage of the project involved stripping away additions such as false ceilings and cladding materials that had been added when the building was converted for use as a military office.

The demolition process revealed the building's original structure, along with layers of paint, plaster and brick that were retained to highlight the passage of time.

Materials salvaged during this phase were reused throughout the project, with old roof timber repurposed as flooring and cladding for the hotel's bar.

"The building itself became a gisement de matériaux délaissé, a deposit of abandoned materials ready to be reactivated rather than replaced," Jadot said.

"This approach is integral to the Realistic Circle and keeps the project grounded in what already exists instead of forcing a new identity on it," he added.

Among the local designers and makers who contributed pieces for the interior is Duplex Studio, which created simple wooden furniture used throughout the guest rooms and public areas.

Based on the idea of a constantly evolving atelier, OpenStructures developed a modular, reconfigurable system for the guest beds that allows them to be disassembled and reused in alternative ways in the future.

Local designer Pierre Emmanuel Vandeputte developed furniture using reclaimed boards sourced from an old school in Ghent, while industrial shelving sourced through salvage specialist Rotor Deconstruction was repurposed throughout the hotel.

The redesigned interior aims to create what the architects described as a "porous" feel, with a new thoroughfare that passes through the building providing access to communal spaces.

The entrance leads into a reception space featuring a counter made from old storage racks that is lined with Duplex Studio stools and illuminated by lamps from designer Cristina Gusano.

The shelving contains objects sourced from local artists' workshops, including leftover materials, stone fragments and fabric remnants, which were chosen to reinforce the space's communal energy.

Other key spaces in the hotel include the Kaiju restaurant, which features furniture by Gilbard Collective and mycelium lampshades by Permafunghi.

According to the designer, the process of working collaboratively with local creatives in a workshop-like format produced an eclectic outcome.

"Real collaboration creates a kind of snowball effect where each meeting leads to the next and every contribution influences the rest," Jadot said.

The interior architect set up his eponymous studio on the heels of founding Zaventem Ateliers, a workspace based in a repurposed paper factory near Brussels that is home to 26 independent ateliers.

Jadot's multidisciplinary work focuses on reimagining spaces and objects by using what already exists. He previously coordinated a team of 52 designers and makers to transform a 1960s office block in Brussels into a hotel.

The photography is by Stan Huaux.

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