If you can't go to a Festival, make it come to You!

You want to have a Festival in your Garden?  My Garden Festival makes it possible!

This project allows you to organize a quality evening without leaving your home! Therefore, renowned artists, sound and light technology, artistic stage, food truck... all the elements are put into place for you, so that you can enjoy an unforgettable moment.

An original concept of which we are very happy to be a part! Indeed, for the second consecutive year, the artistic stage is a FasTival (www.konligo.com). Jean-Francois Guillin, in charge of the event, tells you more about his motivation to choose this type of innovative structure: "I decided to opt for a Konligo structure for quite simple reasons: this structure is very easy to transport, very easy to install with 2 people and, moreover, aesthetically, corresponds perfectly to the level of quality that we want to give to our event.”

New this summer 2021 is the possibility to also "book" comedians! Freddy Tougaux, Fabian Le Castel, and Martin Charlier (also known as “Kiki L'Innocent”) will be there. Concerning musicians, the catalog is extensive, including more than 80 artists. You can find many talents of the Belgian scene such as Youssef Swatt's, Léo Fifty Five, Glauque, Glass Museum, Tanaë, and more. 

For more information visit: https://www.mygardenfestival.be/

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Making your workspace more sustainable or: How to build a circular office

Recently we have moved our office and workshop to a new location! Konligo can now be found in Circularium, a circular economy centre in Anderlecht, where we will build our tents, pop-up structures and stands from now on. Circularium is 20.000m² of ex-industrial property repurposed for local, social and circular economy organizations in Brussels. At Konligo we are firm proponents for a more sustainable economy, which is why we are very excited to be here. And to make our time here even more agreeable we designed and built our own office ourselves following a circular approach. In this article we will explain how we have applied these sustainable design principles to a mezzanine office and workshop in an industrial hall and what to keep in mind if you want to build with reused materials yourself.

Traditional building design thinking starts with a goal in mind and then makes a design, looking for a supplier for the right materials afterwards. But in order to reduce the ecological footprint we based our design on recuperated building materials, starting with what we had or were able to source sustainably. This does mean that the initial design phase can take longer than usual: you need to think smartly about how to install and connect all the different materials, which often have very different dimensions. In addition, you also have to take into account the dynamic aspect of the life span of an office: one day the building will have to extend or is to be taken apart again, so dismantling or reconfiguration, without demolishing, needs to remain possible. On top of that it's better to be prepared to put time and effort in iteratively adapting your design. You might start with a great design, but then come across a good deal for some beautiful, recuperated materials which you want to include, or realize that the materials you initially meant to use are no longer available or not of sufficient quality. That will shuffle around your design constantly. In overall, the better prepared you are, the less problems you will encounter when building commences, so the time investment in your design will definitely be worth it.

In the picture below, we've shown how we combined the reused materials that we mainly bought from BatiTerre and RotorDC. Other items that are not shown like the fence, the carpet tiles and our furniture were found through bankruptcy auctions, or second hand shops.

To keep the design as adaptable as possible, we use only reversible connections (so no welding or gluing, but bolting and screwing)  and our carpet tiles are simply lying on the floor and remain in place because they are squeezed in by the walls. Unfortunately, we were not able to find quality reused materials for everything. Our electricity cables and part of the OSB (wooden panels) and wooden beams for the roof are new.

Important to keep in mind when starting your own project is that repurposed and reused materials are not 100% ‘perfect’, as if they have just left the factory. Some wooden beams were bend, some attachments for the windows were damaged, dimensions have larger deviations etc. This does not have to be a problem if you inspect your materials well in advance, and design with the deficiencies in mind. A way to do this is to include more tolerance in your design (don't go for the millimetre), to measure and remeasure with every building step (to measure is to know) and to be ready to apply some creative problem solving when you find an unexpected problem (but that’s with every project, circular or not =D).

In summary, building a more sustainable office requires a completely different design method than traditional buildings, but the result is worth it! Curious about how we apply circular economy to our pop-up structures, visit our website.

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The story behind our logo

Are you wondering what the logo of Konligo means and how the team came to this final design? Well, we have asked two of the founding members, Niels De Temmerman and Aushim Koumar, to give a bit more explanation about the logo. As you will read, the process that lead to the design was certainly not arbitrary. 

Aushim & Niels, could you tell me how you started with the idea behind the logo.

Aushim: We wanted the logo to express the values and the story behind Konligo. As you may know by now, the central concept at Konligo is the connection. 

Niels: And we saw that Konligo could implement that idea of connection on four different levels, from a product level to a meta-level.

1. 1. Our deployable structures all rely on their connections, enabling them to demonstrate their mesmerizing kinetic motion.
   2. These hinged connections give rise to unique shapes and fascinating transformations that invite people to interact, and thereby connect
   3. The arising spaces are built sustainably, following a circular approach to show our respect for and our connection with our planet.
   4. And finally, these shared core values, together with other humanistic values, drive and connect the team. 

The name Konligo is therefore derived from kunligo, meaning “connection” in Esperanto.

Why did you choose for Esperanto?

Aushim: Esperanto was created by a Polish ophthalmologist named L.L. Zamenhof in 1887 as a culturally-neutral international language. For Zamenhof, such a language was important for promoting the peaceful co-existence of different people and cultures and thus for furthering humanism. In other words, a universal language to connect people.

So I understand how the connection is important for you. But how did you translate this in the logo?

Niels: Well if you look at the logo, you can distinguish two triangles that are connected in a central point, as if it were a hinge of our scissor elements. We chose for triangles because they represent a very stable shape in mechanics and engineering. The connection in the middle represents the four levels of connection explained earlier.

Aushim: Together with a branding agency, we decided to remove the central connection and soften the edges, but the principle stayed the same.

I heard there was more than only triangles in the logo. Something about the golden ratio. 

Niels: Indeed a very important aspect for us was to put even more meaning in our logo by hiding the golden ratio into it. The golden ratio Phi being not only a sign of beauty in mathematics and geometry, but also a sign of harmony and connection in nature, we included this form of proportion in our logo.  The ratios of the distances between the center of all the circles in our logo are therefore all equal to a multiple of the golden ratio (see lines in figure 1).

Figure 1: The origin of our Konligo logo, with two triangles - representing the stability of our structures – connected in the middle to symbolize the connection and the hinges of our scissor structures. All the ratio of the distances are equal to a multiple of the golden ratio phi = (1 + sqrt(5))/2 or 1.618

Figure 2: The final logo, derived from Figure 1 

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Konligo provides breakfast to healthcare workers at UZ Brussel

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Testing the wind resistance of the Fastival

We want everyone to be able to safely enjoy the use of a Fastival, even in harsh weather. Because we know that the last thing that you, as an event organizer, want to worry about is a tent collapsing. This is what our structures are designed for and why we believe robustness is a very important element of the FasTival. For the same reason one of our projects this summer was to test the wind resistance of the FasTival when there is a membrane on top and at the back (as is the case on this picture).

A tent or structure such as the Fastival catches lots of wind. When you do not anchor it firmly to the ground (with for example weights or pins) there is a risk that the wind lifts the structure. Look what happens to the guy in this video and you’ll understand what we mean: https://youtu.be/qF4HyN8-QrE

At the same time, with enough wind, the beams might deform, and a tent might collapse. In fact, we tested this with a previous version of the Fastival by keeping it outside until the biggest storm of the year hit it at full force. What we have seen is that the structure deforms (but does not fully collapse, nor blow away). This storm, Ciara, had peak winds of more than 100 km/h. The fact that our structure did not hold was not a surprise to us. At the time we were actually more interested in the behavior of the structure at the moment it gives in than on keeping it standing. However, we decided this summer to work on a new version of the FasTival which is even stronger than the one we have previously tested.

Lab testing

With our newer and stronger version of the FasTival we wanted to do a more controlled test to precisely see the forces it can withstand and to acquire a certification from Vinçotte, a Belgian accredited inspection and certification organisation.

We have collaborated with the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) to build a test setup that replicates wind forces with pulleys and weights, a setup that has been agreed to by Vinçotte

By pulling the structure up, down or to the side, the forces of the wind are mimicked. Anyone as observant as Sherlock Holmes might notice that there is no membrane on the pictures. This is true, but does not matter for the testing, as the weights needed and used were calculated based on windforces pushing against the structure with a top and back membrane as shown in the picture at the top of this article.

With the use of camera’s and sensors we were able to record the deformation of the beams and measure with how much force the beams are pulled at, to verify that the wind forces do not damage the beams in ways invisible to the eye. This was also done in order to compare test data with known facts on what aluminium beams can resist. The total of all data gives us a good understanding of whether there is a risk of (permanent) damage on the structure at certain wind speeds.

The testing itself involved putting weights into the bags hanging to the structure, with in certain load cases more than 100kg in some of the bags. The highest total of weights hanging in those bags, pulling at our structure, was more than 1400kg! So indeed, it wasn’t just heavy on the structure, but also a heavy work-out for us.

The results

The first outcome of the test has been very positive. We were able to load the structure with the weights necessary to replicate 80km/h wind speeds. For the case when wind is blowing directly onto the side of our FasTival the total weight was 775kg. For the case when wind is coming through the opening at the front, blowing through the structure onto the back, the total weight was even more: 1470kg! Of course, because of the way this was set up, the weight was not all pulling down on the structure, but also sideways, and upwards even. (So the

1470 kg of the testing is not the same as simply hanging 1470kg to the structure).

What these results mean is that you would be able to leave our structure outside, with the top and back membrane on there, in winds of up to 80 km/h. When higher winds are predicted additional measures need to be taken (such as the removal of the membranes).

Final thoughts

When reading this article, it might sound like the testing was quite easy... But in reality it took many hours and days of preparation together with the VUB, to design and build the setup and to do the testing. That’s why we want to give a big ‘Thank you!’ to everyone at the VUB who helped us. The results are of course what matters, and these show us how robust the FasTival really is. Together with its flexibility, fast erection, and beautiful design this makes the FasTival a unique structure that could give just that little bit extra to your event, without having to worry about safety issues. Take a look at our gallery to see some successful outdoor events that have used the FasTival.

We will make more video and photo material of the testing available as soon as possible, to give you an even better idea of what the testing looked like in practice.

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Organizing events during and after Covid-19

Many people are currently at home with a lot of questions about their upcoming wedding, birthday, corporate event, festival, or any other type of event. Besides the obvious doubts about whether these events will be allowed to take place, the question also rises in what form it would be when allowed. It is apparent to most that big festivals and other mass events won’t take place in the months to come. But at the same time, humans remain social creatures, so a full lockdown cannot go on indefinitely either. It is therefore up to municipalities, businesses, and event organizers to find a way to address these needs in a suitable manner once the safety council will allow for small events to take place (which hopefully happens soon after phase 3). In a series of posts, it will be discussed how we think events will look like, and how you, as an organization, can adapt your event to the current situation and changing rules.

One event, multiple locations

One measure which, unfortunately, will be staying with us for a while is the limit in numbers of visitors allowed. In the coming months, events will thus have to be much smaller than before. But smaller also means more intimate! It is very efficient to invite your business partners and customers or family and friends all at once to one big party, but unfortunately, the time available for a good conversation is limited in those situations. When you would like to organize a pop-up event as a company, the message you want to convey will connect with your fans and customers much better when there is only a small crowd present. In order to still reach a larger crowd, you could spread your event over multiple days and locations, with different guests at every occurrence. An event that usually hosts an entire city could be organized per neighborhood, for example. When you do so don’t forget to take into account that you will need a set-up which can be easily installed and dismantled, to enable you to be ready on a new location every new day.

Be prepared to adapt

There is another reason why you would want to consider a flexible and fast set-up for your event. The lockdown rules seem to get less strict right now, but the second wave of corona infections could easily turn this around again. Some events will therefore receive a permit or might be prohibited, at the shortest possible notice. In such insecure times, you would not want to take days to set up big tents or structures, with a credible risk that the event won’t be allowed to take place after all. Events will thus have to be set up within a much shorter timeframe. A smart event manager will therefore choose structures that can be installed in as little time as possible, but that still provide the desired robustness and aesthetics.

But above all

Do not let the uncertain times and the above-mentioned considerations discourage you when organizing an event. People will need the fun and the social interactions of events now more than ever! Visitors and guests will therefore also be more flexible in accepting the measures you are taking, for they also realize that it is an unfortunate part of our new reality. But, with the right preparations and the right materials, these smaller events can still make a huge success out of the coming summer.

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Luno

It all begins with an idea. We received a demand from a customer, Atelier 03, who wanted a new original pop-up cinema that could also be used as a medium for artworks such as a fresco. Creativity is our main resource and our software is a unique tool resulting from many years of research and several PhDs that allow us to model an infinite number of shapes from scissor beams made of recycled aluminium. Thus, the idea of Luno was established: evolving according to its position between a flat screen and a curved screen, in the same way a  moon changes its shape as nights go by. 

After several months of hard work on product development including conception and calculations, we arrived at the most iconic step for a start-up: the workshop. We all gathered at  our workshop, under the capricious lights, exposed to the chilly winds during the winter season to screw, unscrew, punch holes, and assemble all the small and big pieces to form a beautiful aluminium puzzle. We then had to adapt new dimensions for horizontal deployment, a novelty in our products since our products were only able to be deployed vertically until now.  This breakthrough in our new product considerably altered the impact of gravity, posing an uncertainty of whether the structure would work perfectly or if it would be as beautiful and eye-catching as we hoped. 

We do our best, but there are times when bad surprises occur. However, it wasn’t the case this time. We forgot about all the worries that had crossed our minds when we unfolded the structure for the first time. Seven months after the first brainstorming, these were the first steps of the aluminium animal we raised. Now we will observe the impact of the Luno, hoping that, for once again, the Konligo magic will take place  and gather people.

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