Truck Stop Happening 1

Truck Stop Border Project: A Polyphonic Space of Transit

- Design and Research: studio ilinx & import.export Architecture

- Architects and Researchers: Nasim Razavian (studio ilinx), Oscar Rommens and An Vanderveken (import.export Architecture)

- Collaborators: BTB-ABVV, AR-TUR, Truck Stop Joost

- Construction Team: Merlijn Bucher, Pendar Nabipour, Nasim Razavian, Oscar Rommens and An Vanderveken

- Location: Joost Truck Stop, Hoogstraten, Belgium

- Photographs by Sander van Wettum 

- June 2026

Studio ilinx and import.export Architecture have recently held a ludic happening at Truck Stop Joost located along the A16 highway and in the Netherlands-Belgium border region. At this happening, they unveiled, for the first time, the multiple micro-interventions they have designed and built as the result of the second phase of their ongoing research and design project titled Truck Stop Project: A polyphonic Space of Transit. This is following a book published earlier with a trans-scalar research on the topic of Border Truck Stops in Nl and BE.

The micro-interventions are spatio-temporal interactive objects on the human scale inviting truck drivers, visitors and passers-byes to participate in the discussion around the topic of health and rest of truck drivers. They introduce moments for rest, bodily care, meeting and exchange. The design of these objects are inspired by truckers’ hacking methods and highway objects and signs. They also reveal and narrate stories of the obstacles and endeavor’s faced by the truck drivers during their daily life.

The happening initiated moments for collective reflection and dialogue with the trucking community, local partners, policymakers and interested visitors.

Truck Stop Border Project: A Polyphonic Space of Transit is a two-phased spatial research–design project. It analyses spatial conditions and potentials of the NL-BE border-truck-stops and their surroundings. The project approaches the truck stops beyond logistics and as socio-cultural meeting points and spaces for rest.

The project brings attention to making the truck stops more humanized and inclusive. Through “soft activism” it raises awareness and through making new relations it highlights the region’s local specificities,. Brings new perspectives and suggests new forms of collaboration.

Main collaborators of the project are truckers, BTB-ABVV, AR-TUR, and Truck Stop Joost.

This project is kindly supported by the Stimuleringsfonds, Creatieve Industries Fund NL.