Once a year, L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui pays tribute to a specific country, through its architecture. For its 425th issue, after France in 2016 and Spain in 2017, AA gives way to Belgium.

If there is one scene that has been more and more visible the last few years, it is certainly the one composed, just to name a few, of V+, Hebbelinck, Baukunst, OFFICE, 51N4E… not to forget ADVVT – architecten de vylder vinck taillieu. Despite the importance of not confusing one with the other, Flemish and Walloon, young radicals and old guard –who sometimes support irreconcilable architectures– they all share the common point of having given credibility, as well as international acclaim, to a profession for a time scorned in Belgium.

Belgian architects master the art of palimpsest as well as budgetary restrictions. Between history and storytelling, audacity and mastery, the Belgian scene has become a guarantee of quality, humanism and poetry.

In this Belgium special issue :

NEWS

Report from Venice : the AA’s selection, the Holy See chapels, the French pavilion…
Also in the news : Belgian architecture according to Freek Persyn (51N4E), In the Rotor’s library, “Living-Together” by Philippe Trétiack, realisations, competitions and books…

REPORT – Belgium, negociated architecture

Profession: How about Belgium: the architecture of negotiation
Portrait: V+ towards a gentle architecture
Builders: Charleroi Bouwmeester, offensive manoeuvres. Georgios Maïllis interview
Expertise: Grid and collage, Belgian style
Heritage: Juliaan Lampens’ idiosyncratic brutalism
Realisations:
Baukunst, La Fraineuse multipurpose building, 2016
ADVVT, Villa renovation, Caritas Psychiatric Centre, 2016
noAarchitecten, Hasselt’s law school, 2015
Pierre Hebbelinck, Meusinvest office building, Liège, 2017

VIEWPOINTS

Fashion: Dries Van Noten’s layers of contradiction
Extract: Novel graphics by Laurent Dandoy
Representation: Pipe dreams
Cinema: Just like Frank Lloyd Wright
Report: Bas Smets’ metamorphosis
Report: Ann Guillaume and Guillaume Aubry: “The ultimate goal is co-production”

TRENDS

Three questions for: Paul Renson, CEO of the Renson group
Project and products: Belgian know-how