NADAR

Saint-Gilles, a Brussels municipality with a strong artistic identity, offered me a unique field of exploration: to imagine an urban device that welcomes pedestrians while restricting access to cars. In this context, I chose to reinterpret the Nadar barrier, an ordinary yet omnipresent object in public space. My starting point was to analyze the strengths of the existing barrier: its robustness, surface treatment, ability to hook together and be stored efficiently. Then I questioned what it fails to express: its visual inertia, its raw, obstructive nature, and its lack of expressiveness. I aimed to preserve its structural performance while adding lightness, better handling, and greater visual presence. Each barrier is made from a single bent steel tube, reinforced at the junction with the panel. Designed to be modular, independent and easy to store, it stacks in groups of ten, connects fluidly and can be aligned with a simple foot movement. Whether installed in series or on its own, in a square or at a crossroads, it becomes a soft-use marker, an invitation to pass through for some, a gentle redirection for others. As part of an eco-design approach, I ensured the object was mono-material, made entirely of steel, and complied with standard supplier dimensions to avoid waste. The tubes were locally sourced and machined by nearby partners, reducing the environmental impact of transport. Built to last, the barrier is weather-resistant, easy to maintain and low-cost to produce, making it well suited for responsible mass production.