Archinect - News

SO – IL creates 3D knit textile passage for Bruges Triennial 2024

2024-04-22T11:39:00-04:00

SO – IL has completed a passage of 3D knit textiles as part of the 2024 Bruges Triennial in Belgium.

Titled 'Common Thread,' the passage is inspired by the medieval city’s lace-making tradition, using an innovative woven fabric to create what the team calls an “intricate spatial experience in a wave-like tunnel.”

Image credit: Iwan Baan

The installation is set within a passageway that connects the secluded courtyard of a 19th-century monastery with the wider city. In collaboration with a team from TU Delft, the team explored how Common Thread could marry the tradition of the bobbin lace with modern technologies and new geometric possibilities.

Image credit: Iwan Baan

The resulting fabric is knit in varying ratios, with individual threads combining and diverging in ever-changing patterns. The installation’s form and structural framework were further guided by computational simulations and material samples.

Image credit: Iwan Baan

Image cre...

Noise-disrupting fountains? Belgian cities are leading the world in anti-noise pollution urban strategy

2023-11-10T13:26:00-05:00

Noise pollution often underestimated but significantly impacting our lives, has become a pressing concern in major cities worldwide. From the bustling streets of Brussels to the vibrant ambience of Paris, urban dwellers are increasingly raising their voices against incessant noise.

Exposure to noise pollution above an annual average of 53 decibels has been shown to shorten lifespans for city dwellers. Brussels, where 70% of residents are at-risk, has begun experimenting with pleasing “soundscapes” among other, more practical interventions that include lower speed limits, added greenways, and pedestrianization strategies. Antwerp is also planning to test out a new “noise-disrupting fountains” concept this spring. Ghent, finally, is attempting to limit maximum facade noise to 65 decibels using a combination of traffic reduction and improvements to road surfaces.

MVRDV designs residential master plan as new neighborhood for Brussels

2023-10-24T15:34:00-04:00

MVRDV has released details of their master plan for Tour & Taxis Lake Side in Brussels, Belgium. The master plan consists of 17 buildings designed by seven different architects including MVRDV, adding 800 residential units to the area.

Image credit: RZGraphics

The master plan is split into three sections. A mixed office and housing campus to the east contains large-scale buildings, including cross-laminated timber and lightweight hybrid structures. The middle section, meanwhile, sees 14 individual buildings clustered around a public garden. The ground floors of the buildings contain public amenities and shops, while all 14 buildings hold either green or energy-producing roofs. The third section of the master plan blends the dense neighborhood into the adjacent Tour & Taxis Park, with a more open space punctuated by a tower known as the Park Building.

Image credit: RZGraphics

The plan contains a range of housing types, including two buildings providing co-living apartments. The master ...

Carmody Groarke develops bricks made of city waste for museum facade in Ghent, Belgium

2022-11-18T04:00:00-05:00

Waste from the city of Ghent, Belgium, is being turned into the building blocks of a major cultural institution. For a renovation and expansion of the Design Museum Gent, an innovative new recycling process is turning old bits of broken concrete and glass into the bricks that will cover the museum’s exterior.

The Gent Waste Brick was designed by London-based practice Carmody Groarke in partnership with materials designers BC Materials and Local Works Studio. Together, they developed an energy-saving method that takes ground construction waste materials, mainly crushed concrete, masonry, and glass, from demolished buildings and infuses lime to form dry-cured bricks. This approach utilizes local materials rather than extracting clay or importing mass-produced bricks from elsewhere. As reported by Fast Company, the materials were collected mostly from within five miles of the museum.

The bricks are formed in a shipping container-sized mobile processor and then dry cure for 60 days, a much less energy-intensive process than traditional brick production. As a result, they will reportedly produce a third of the amount of carbon dioxide over a 60-year lifespan than a conventional brick. For the museum expansion, the Gent Waste Bricks will be used on the museum's facade, which is expected to co...

Peek inside the slick new gallery spaces at the reopened Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp

2022-09-28T13:16:00-04:00

Today, it appears unchanged from the outside. But an entirely new building has been inserted within the existing footprint. Twenty-first century white cube galleries have been incorporated into the original structure, increasing the exhibition space by 40%.

Following a major 11-year-long, $96 million restoration led by Rotterdam-based firm KAAN Architecten, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) finally reopened in Belgium.

Photo: Karin Borghouts

KAAN Architecten’s work combined a renovation of the 19th-century neoclassical museum building, originally designed by Belgian architects Jean-Jacques Winders and Frans Van Dijk, with the addition of a contemporary extension nestled within the original structure. The firm revived the original colors, materials, and routing of the historic space.

Photo: Karin Borghouts

The new interior building is defined by white exhibition halls, long staircases, hidden rooms, and daylight provided through four light wells.

Take a look at interior shots of the new gallery spaces below.

Photo: Karin Borghouts

Lucien Kroll, paragon of progressive architecture, passes away aged 95

2022-08-15T17:43:00-04:00

An influential figure in the realm of ecological design is being mourned after Le Monde reported the death of Belgian architect Lucien Kroll in Brussels on August 2nd at the age of 95.

The Atelier Kroll co-founder will be remembered for his foundational work in the arenas of green building and participatory architecture. Kroll is best known for his highly-collaborative 1976 La Mémé design on the campus of Belgium’s Catholic University of Louvain in addition to over 100 other projects he and his wife Simone Pelosse completed through the studio after its inception in 1958.

A 1966 residential project in Embourg, Belgium. Image: GAR-Archives d'architecture

A 1951 graduate of La Cambre (where he preceded Maurice Culot by a decade), Kroll’s early commitment to designing spaces “with” rather than “for” their users continued throughout his long career, eventually leading to them being named the Brussels Architecture Prize Lifetime Achievement Award winners just last year. His early-career d...

Ghent's new Bijgaardehof complex completes a collaborative vision of social housing and city life

2022-06-27T13:26:00-04:00

A transformed brownfield site in Ghent’s historic central core has been revealed, showcasing BOGDAN & VAN BROECK’s vision for a “world in itself” set amongst industrial ruins and characterized by what it calls “lockdown-compatible” living.

The factory building had sat unoccupied since 1997 before being acquired by developer sogent, who organized an international competition for the redesign project in 2009. The new cohousing project that resulted includes some 59 residential units, a network of landscaped communal gathering areas, and a health center in what is said to match a number of criteria central to the practice’s core mission to “offer a higher quality of life at an affordable cost.”

Image © Laurina Ghinitoiu

Per the architects: “The starting point for the design of Bijgaardehof was the triangular footprint of the industrial site. The perimeter walls form a simple and strong figure that defines the boundary between 'the wor...

Oliver Wainwright considers the impacts of Belgium’s Open Call bidding system

2022-05-03T12:17:00-04:00

Unlike the toxic culture of open international competitions, which see countless architects waste days of unpaid labour to compete in a beauty contest of novelty forms, the Open Call is focused – and paid. The democratic process has seen Pritzker prize winners drawn alongside recent graduates, unheard-of elsewhere. Unlikely as it may seem, the scheme has made this small part of northern Belgium home to some of the best new public buildings in the world.

The Guardian critic used Florian Heilmeyer’s new book, Celebrating Public Architecture: Buildings from the Open Call in Flanders 2000–2021, as a means of introduction to the system that was first enacted in 2000. Heilmeyer’s aim is to advance the notion that it “prove[s] that public architecture can actually be daring, thought-provoking, cooperative, and well-done at the same time.” Wainwright thoroughly concurred with the assertion, adding his own opinion that a shift towards a more democratic process could benefit the health and safety of his own country.

“It’s not hard to see why, given the current state of UK procurement culture,” he wrote of the controversial British way of awarding public procurements. “As the Grenfell inquiry has made all too clear in week after depressing week, the process through which public authorities procure building work has become riddled with lethal incompetence and institutionalised negligence.” Wainwright adds: “It is a process of contractual buck-...

Belgium approves four-day workweek and other worker protection measures

2022-02-16T15:29:00-05:00

Workers in Belgium will soon be able to choose a four-day week under a series of labour market reforms announced on Tuesday. The reform package agreed by the country's multi-party coalition government will also give workers the right to turn off work devices and ignore work-related messages after hours without fear of reprisal.

Belgium’s new labor reforms aim to improve the work-life balance of employees in both the public and private sectors. Workers in the gig economy will receive stronger legal protections and full-time employees will be able to work more flexible schedules. As reported by Euronews, employees will be able to request to work four days a week for a period of six months. Following this, they could choose to continue the arrangement of return to a five-day week.

Previously on Archinect: Revisiting the 4-day work week in architecture

In Belgium’s new model, the 38-hour working week would be condensed into four days, with the additional day off compensating for the longer workdays. In addition, workers will be able to request variable work schedules, and companies will be required to provide work schedules at least seven days in advance. The draft legislation must now pass multiple readings by federal lawmakers before being enacted.

Belgian crematorium designed by KAAN Architecten to be a peaceful oasis

2018-11-14T15:44:00-05:00

Located in the Belgian countryside, the recently completed Crematorium Sisegem has been designed by KAAN Architecten as a peaceful oasis. In Belgium, crematoria typically have a more complex programming than in other countries and are commonly used as spaces for gathering, enjoying a meal, and reconnecting with friends and family, says the architects. To help encourage a site of introspection for visitors, the Dutch firm designed a restrained space that can be interpreted and used differently by each individual.

The surrounding landscape, laid out by Brussels designer Erik Dhont, has been carefully devised to help slow down visitors and provide a sense of clam upon arrival. The service road for hearses was arranged to be out of view entirely, while the adjacent hills have been dedicated for scattered ashes and an urn garden. To the north, a pond serves as a reservoir for rainwater and to provide a sense of calm.

The site has been ...

KAAN Architecten completes Utopia, a library and academy for performing arts in Belgium

2018-06-26T16:06:00-04:00

Utopia, the Library and Academy for Performing Arts, has recently opened in it's new building designed by KAAN Architecten. Located in Aalst, Belgium, the brick structure incorporates a historic school building from 1880 embedded within.

Utopia by KAAN Architecten, located in Aalst, Belgium ©Delfino Sisto Legnani e Marco Cappelletti

Taking its cue from Thomas More’s acclaimed book "Utopia" (first printed by a citizen of Aalst), KAAN Architecten's building features an entrance located on an intimate square between the reading café and the auditorium.

Utopia by KAAN Architecten, located in Aalst, Belgium ©Delfino Sisto Legnani e Marco Cappelletti

Moving through tall, wide openings in the brickwork the structure opens to several thick concrete floors that appearing to float. Hanging at...

SelgasCano's floating pavilion invades the canals of Bruges for the city's Triennial

2018-05-09T14:19:00-04:00

Over the weekend, the famous tourist town of Bruges—known for its enchanting canals, Belgian chocolate, and starring role in the movie In Bruges—kicked off the second edition of its Contemporary Art and Architecture Triennial. Themed Liquid City | Vloeibare stad, the event has returned with surprising installations by an international roster of celebrated artists and architects, spread across the historic cityscape.

The Selgascano Pavilion at the Bruges Triennial. Photo by Iwan Baan.

Over 15 works have been commissioned by curators Till-Holger Borchert and Michel Dewildel, their marks and temporary modifications opening up both lesser-known and iconic places around the city for new opportunities. Inspired by the Polish-born British sociologist Zygmunt Bauman—who, coining the term liquid modernity, believed that change within modern society was constant and relentless—the curators wanted to build hospitable public sp...

This Belgian concrete factory shows how industrial buildings can be functional AND beautiful

2018-01-11T20:02:00-05:00

Belgian maker of architectural prefabricated concrete elements, Enjoy Concrete, show us how the product can be the architecture in its most beautiful sense: when the company was in need of a new industrial facility in the small town of Veurne, they partnered with Govaert & Vanhoutte Architects to design a headquarters that's constructed entirely from Enjoy Concrete's own prefabricated concrete elements.

The facade follows a strict 6x3-meter grid that applies the same proportions to the concrete panels as well as the windows.

While the building is mainly a big industrial hall for production and storage, it also contains a variety of office spaces spread over four stories. Its most striking feature is a cantilevered, glass-encased board room protruding dramatically from the top corner of the otherwise compact building volume.

Since the building is situated near a green canal la...

Flemish government's new home and largest passive office building in Brussels completes

2017-09-27T12:35:00-04:00

The city of Brussels has experienced an energy revolution in the last ten years, transforming the Belgian capital into a model for the passive house movement. As a result of the regional government’s 2009 decision to fully embrace passive constructions, the city has become one the most 'passive' cities in Europe and a leader in building energy performance.

In keeping with their environmental standards, the Flemish Government has just moved into their new home and Belgium's largest passive office building. Designed by the Dutch-firm Neutelings Riedijk Architects, the 66,500 square meter building will house the Flemish government's 2,600 employees. Equipped with 2,000 m² of solar panels capable of producing enough energy for 100 families, the building is the most energy efficient of any building used by Flemish Civil servants and will save the Flemish Government 8.8 million euro/annum in rent.

Located on the Tour & Taxis site, the new office—clad in ove...

The next International Architecture Biennale of Rotterdam will be split across two years and two countries

2017-04-20T12:14:00-04:00

The next International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) will be split in two parts, the first held in 2018 and the second in 2020. Appropriately dubbed IABR—2018+2020, it will be based in both the Netherlands and Belgium and use “the world as its source of inspiration”. This follows in line with a couple other major cultural events that have recently spread out from their original base, notably this year’s documenta, which is held in both Kassel and Athens.

The curators of IABR—2018+2020 will be Floris Alkemade of Floris Alkemade Architectm, the Chief Government Architect of the Netherlands; Flemish Government Architect Leo Van Broeck of Bogdan & Van Broeck; and Joachim Declerck of the Belgian practice Architecture Workroom Brussels.

The Biennale will use the Paris Agreement as its impetus, which they consider “an actual change of direction, a fundamental transition”. To that end, the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta and the Low Countries serve as appropriate workspaces. The regions b...

Closer look: Zaha Hadid's new “floating” Port House in Antwerp

2016-09-23T18:07:00-04:00

The glistening Port House in Antwerp is Zaha Hadid's latest project to be completed posthumously. But the glass building isn't mere folly. Built atop a disused historic fire station, the striking landmark operates as the new headquarters for the Port of Antwerp, Europe's second largest port.

ZHA was selected to design the new extension following a competition, in which the main objective was to preserve the original fire station, according to Port of Antwerp president Marc Van Peel. All five shortlisted competitors proposed a new structure above the building, but the Port deemed Zaha's design as “the most brilliant”.

At 111 meters long and 21 meters high, the new glass extension “floats” above the old fire station. “Like the bow of a ship, the new extension points towards the Scheldt, connecting the building with the river on which Antwerp was founded,” ZHA describes.

The building also shows off a glazed facade of transparent and opaque triangular facets that allow sufficient natural l...

It's a bumpy start for Mons as European Capital of Culture 2015

2015-01-13T15:00:00-05:00

Only one of the new buildings is ready, its centrepiece artwork had to be dismantled after bits fell off – and people are more excited about getting their first Ikea. [...] A €155m new station, designed by Santiago Calatrava as a swooping sci-fi bird, is so far no more than a concrete foundation slab. It replaces a much-loved 1950s station by a local architect, and it’s now optimistically scheduled to open in 2018, having escalated to four times its original budget.

Libeskind opens his latest building in Belgium today. Is it a snooze?

2015-01-09T13:50:00-05:00

In 2015, Libeskind’s brand of Deconstructivism (and all varieties of Deconstructivism, one might argue) amounts to a familiar, dull architecture; a calcified formal language whose shock-factor and novelty has worn away. One would hope that Libeskind, as a leading architectural practitioner, could at least try to articulate a new agenda in the experimental vein of his earlier work. Alas — as the Mons International Conference Xperience shows — that’s not the case.

.PSLAB's "lion fish" chandelier adds the finishing touch to The Jane Antwerp

2014-04-24T17:10:00-04:00

The Jane restaurant in the Groen Kwartier of Antwerp still brandishes the now-trendy artisanal interior of the military hospital chapel it once was. Throughout the entire design process, Michelin Star Chef Sergio Herman and Nick Bril closely collaborated with Dutch practice Piet Boon Architects, who then brought in .PSLAB, a site-specific Beirut studio whose work specializes in creating sensory experiences.

Complementing the brass, stone, leather, and oak, the focal point of the restaurant is .PSLAB's handcrafted chandelier that the studio nicknamed the "Lion Fish". The chandelier boasts a radius of 12 x 9 m and a weight of 800 kilograms. Its black-finished tubes are accented with over 150 glass light bulbs that disperse upward toward the vaulted ceiling. The studio also describes that at 2.75 m above the ground, "the chandelier communicates a very human scale."

Check out .PSLAB's video below to see the making of the chandelier.

J. MAYER H. completes Court of Justice Hasselt

2013-09-12T16:55:00-04:00

Jürgen Mayer H.'s latest creation is about to officially swing its doors open to the public tomorrow, September 13th: the new Court of Justice building in Hasselt, Belgium was designed by a team comprising Berlin-based J. MAYER H. Architects and local firms a2o-architecten and Lensºass architecten.

The building's exterior skin already celebrated its completion in 2011, and the interior was completed in spring of 2013.

Project Description from J. MAYER H. Architects:

The new court of justice is an open, transparent building with direct public access, combining the Court of Justice with a university library and auditoriums for the faculty of law. In keeping with the building's logistical requirements and safety provisions, the structure is divided into three separate units: courtrooms, the library for students and an office tower with a 64-meters-high panorama restaurant on top from which offers a panoramic view of the city of Hasselt and its surroundings.

Based on a mast...

GENK C-m!ne Urban Square

2012-07-23T17:46:00-04:00

Dutch firm HOSPER landscape architecture & urbanism has sent us images of its latest project, GENK C-M!NE, an urban square design for the revitalized mining area C-Mine in Genk, Belgium. C-Mine houses various creative industries as well as cultural functions and is currently hosting Manifesta, The European Biennial of Contemporary Art. The design of the square was a collaborative effort of HOSPER with Carmela Bogman Art In The Public Space and ARA Dries Beys.

Base jumping inside the Koekelberg Basilica!

2012-04-12T12:28:00-04:00

To continue with Javier's recent place hacking post of this dude climbing the Shard, I bring you this insane video of base jumpers "hacking" the Koekelberg Basilica in Brussels.

Knokke-Heist School Building by NL Architects

2011-04-28T17:08:00-04:00

Amsterdam-based NL Architects have recently won the competition for a new school building in Knokke-Heist, Belgium. The proposal "De Vonk" (The Spark) acts as a transition between the city's outer rim and the adjacent farmland.