Houses for a Seasonal Neighbourhood

“We don’t have a house here, our house is in Bulgaria. In Belgium, there’s only work.” This statement from a young seasonal worker touched upon the core of our research: the separation between living and working. While our house symbolizes comfort and tranquility, seasonal workers often live temporarily in the place where they work—without a real connection to the environment.

In contemporary agriculture, this contrast is painfully apparent. Workers live in containers, converted stables, or temporary parks, often far from home. Despite new European standards, this remains an invisible topic in public debate. How can we better understand these forms of temporary cohabitation? What does it actually mean to live somewhere, and how does a sense of home arise?

With Houses for a Seasonal Neighborhood, we explore the relationship between work, living, and the land. We conduct conversations with seasonal workers, architects, and residents, and translate these exchanges into a performative form—through film, sound, or conversation.

Not to offer solutions, but to create space for empathy and awareness. We want to connect the public with seasonal workers as more than just laborers—as neighbors, residents, and people with stories. At the same time, we reflect on our own position as architects and family members of farmers: searching for new ways to live temporarily, caringly, and connected to the landscape.