Building in the ugliest country in the world

Hera Van Sande Theology Library, Paul Van Aerschot, 1974

Renaat Braem built a large-scale, iconic housing project here, based on a socialist ideal that the old city (read: society) was beyond redemption. They had to start from a blank sheet of paper. The Sint-Maartensdal complex exemplifies what he had in mind for what he called ‘the ugliest country in the world’.

Meanwhile, amongst the new generation of architects, trained after May ’68, there was a growing realisation that things could not go on like this. They were averse to large-scale projects and, above all, to the lack of resident participation in the whole process. Initially, the focus was on small-scale developments that offered the less well-off new opportunities to continue living in the city, whilst at the same time making the most of existing structures to redefine and reuse them – tentatively at first, but gradually achieving striking results.

This generation of architects, supported by the establishment of the non-profit organisation Stad en Architectuur, eventually managed to persuade the city council to embark on a gradual transformation of the city. During our cycle tour, we pass projects that bear witness to this transition.

We begin our day with a visit to the Centrale Werkplaatsen, where several large halls are being refurbished, and also to the new housing estate by Bogdan Van Broeck (now & Bogdan): 134 homes built on a stylised grid, with space for greenery and socialising.

We then cycle past the conversion of an Art Deco monastery, with an extension for a circus school by LAVA architects, and the subtle integration into the street pattern of a new residence by Coussée-Goris-Huyghe architects. We also take in the work of some icons of post-war modernism, such as Marc Dessauvage (Erasmus House) and Paul van Aerschot (Library).

More recent developments can be seen in areas where large-scale complexes have been partially or completely demolished: the former St Peter’s Hospital, featuring a residential tower and terraced houses by David Chipperfield; a redevelopment around the De Hoorn brewery, plus a new residential neighbourhood with terraced houses by Robbrecht and Daem Architects; the old Vaartkom, where historic buildings have been repurposed and others have made way for new developments, featuring work by BEEL Architects, Xaveer de Geyter, …

The common thread running through the day is defined by projects by Czaar and a33 architects, who have brought about the transformation of the city centre like no others. You can read more about this in the wonderful book ‘Working in the ugliest country in the world. Caring urban regeneration in practice’, written by Ludo Bekker and Erik Min.