didier faustino's XYZ lounge in ghent explores conviviality through an interstice-space

didier fiuza faustino unveiled XYZ, his very first lounge, bar and restaurant for zebrastraat conference center in ghent, belgium. ‘the XYZ lounge is an intersection, a space where paths meet. it is the central point for exchanges between the visitors of the conference center of zebrastraat in ghent. it questions the contemporary notions of conviviality and physicality. during a time where social, sexual, and gender identities are upturned and questioned, how may one provide a space which is both neutral and sensual, a space free from social markers, without tailoring to a singular identity?’ summarizes didier faustino.

didier faustino unveiled his lounge for zebrastraat conference center in ghent
all images by felipe ribon

the architectural intervention on french based architect didier faustino‘s XYZ lounge, a 360 m² surface area, aims at redefining the use and the volumes of the public spaces: entrance hall, central nave and bar, lateral rooms and mezzanine platforms leading to the conference halls and meeting rooms. a made to measure metallic frame imposes a new outline for the space, supporting the walls and ceilings that have been brought in: stucco moldings, marble panels, textile ceilings, lighting surfaces and wood claddings.

the XYZ lounge is an intersection, a space where paths meet

the lounge spans out into three spaces from the entrance: an open space on the left-hand side, for cocktails and evening parties with a DJ including a projection screen, an adjoining bar below the central nave and a smaller open space on the right-hand side with an access to the terrace. the furniture, designed specifically for the space, is composed of fixed elements made of marble — counter, islands and suspension lights –, of high tables and chairs — varnished steel tubes, marble surfaces, leather seats — and of a series of rotomolded seats in polypropylene.

the central point for exchanges between visitors of the conference center of zebrastraat

didier faustino describes the project as followed: ‘the XYZ lounge has been conceived as an interstice-space offering a new form of physicality and identity, a space of convergence and interaction where temporality is suspended. it is a space conducive to physical trajectories and a certain form of eroticism, at the center of which the bar spreads out, the spot of connections and disconnection, the anchoring point where people come and go. the marble, the stucco, and fabric, all clean materials, stage the encounters made within this in-between space, creating an envelope where the different tonalities call out to our carnal sensuality. the XYZ lounge, conscious of its duality, projects us into a romanticism of science fiction, crossing over into an unknown yet familiar elsewhere.’

it questions the contemporary notions of conviviality and physicality