LOADS

LOADS Studio Claudy Jongstra, photo by Heleen Haijtema

LOADS is the most recent expansion of Studio Claudy Jongstra dedicated to education, skill-building and collaboration. LOADS Collection is the first project emerging from this new space, bringing together the extraordinary work of collaborating makers, architects, farmers, designers, manufacturers and social enterprises.

The LOADS doors are open for everyone - from students and farmers to scientists and companies - who want to experience a holistic way of living and working. It is a dynamic location with a garden, where you can gain knowledge about natural materials, textures and techniques such as spinning, weaving and felting wool from a herd of rare Drenthe heath sheep, where wool is transformed into yarns and plants in natural dye pigments. It is a place where the importance of preserving and passing on indigenous knowledge about crafts, manufacturing processes and ancient recipes is carefully cherished. Where the rich history is brought to life by creating fabrics like in the heyday of the "laeken" industry. LOADS is not a school but a place that is open to all possible sensory, haptic and tactile experiences, offering space for masterclasses, lectures and experiments. On the 18th of October, LOADS hosted the first group of international master's students from Lidewij Edelkoort at the renowned Polimoda Fashion School in Florence, who followed a four-day workshop that Studio Claudy Jongstra has developed together with Philip Fimmano entitled 'Farm to Fabric to Fashion'.

The circular renovation of the former building of construction company Harkema into LOADS, was a joint effort that preceded months of preparations, carpentry and construction. Students and employees of the studio used residual materials from the construction company to create a garden in which they have sown native flowers and herbs. The Rotterdam architects of EARTHbound and design studio Namelok designed a remarkable tower that protrudes like a chimney through the roof: the LOADS-Artist in Residency.

Colored residual tiles were used for the sanitary facilities, the wood comes from old Frisian farms, the doors from the former school building in Spannum and the window frames of construction sites in Brussels. Peter van der Hoek of the carpentry and restoration company in Spannum, has installed the special collage of windows and doors. For the interior, Studio Claudy Jongstra was able to take over a large part of the 'Dutch design' of the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam, with which Jongstra worked for many years. 

For more information, please contact us: info@claudyjongstra.com

Photography by Heleen Haijtema