In 2019, Valentin acquired this historic gas factory, a national monument located at the entrance of Maastricht. Built in 1912, the site had been largely abandoned since the 1970s, with its buildings left vacant or used only for storage. While the surrounding land was largely undeveloped when Valentin bought it, the construction of the Noorderbrug, one of the primary bridges leading into the city center, transformed the historic property into a landmark for everyone entering Maastricht.

For Valentin this factory was like a blank canvas on which he creates what may be his largest project as an individual and principal decision-maker. There was never a fixed plan; everything, the whole process, was guided by intuition and trust. He consciously chose not to accept any form of state funding to preserve his own freedom and to retain independence of thought and feeling through it all. The whole project is an attempt to create something accessible to many, for people from all kinds of backgrounds.

"Through this work, I wish to counteract the difficulties of our time with a culture of beauty, peaceful coexistence, and honesty." (Valentin, 2026)