Groep Planning

Jan Tanghe (°Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, January 21, 1929 – Ostend, September 5, 2003) was a Belgian architect, urban planner and professor.

Jan Tanghe was the son of a sea captain. During World War II, the family fled to England, where Tanghe enjoyed a UK and international training.

He studied architecture and urbanism at the St. Lucas Institute in Ghent. Once graduated (1953) he was an active participant in the discussions on and around architecture, urban planning and the environment ..

In 1966 he founded with architects Jacques Pêtre and Ignaas Deboutte and engineer Willy Canfyn Bruges architect Planning Association, later Group Planning. The association boomed and was located in various locations in Bruges, while an office was established in Brussels. In Bruges, the historic property Court Gros was in St. Jacob Street, since 1980 the headquarters of the company. Tanghe was for many years chairman of the Group. He was succeeded in 1989 by architect and urban Werner Desimpelaere.

The many designs made by Planning, both in terms of architecture and urbanism, wore no longer the personal name of Tanghe, but had in most cases owe very much to his leadership and perspectives.

In 1971 he was one of the founders, along with Daniel Craet and several others of the non-profit Information Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Design (ICASD) that the publisher was the magazine A +, the journal in Dutch and French architects, urban planners and designers. He played for many years a prominent role in this association.

Tanghe was also important because of the influence he had in some studies and plans. He made a real battle in Ghent to prevent a subway should be built, including in the bed of the river Lys. He won this battle. In Brussels he gave in discussions with politicians and city council shape the actions that were taken against several megalomaniac projects by the Atelier de Recherche d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme (ARAU).

Jan Tanghe was in 1969, teacher planning the Polytechnic, later University of Mons, being attracted by his friend and colleague Jean Barthélémy. He continued this teaching assignment until 1991.Samen Michel Didisheim, Mark Dubrulle, Pierre Dulieu, Dominique de Wasseige and Baudouin du Bus de WARNAFFE, in 1971 he founded the Association for a Better Environment – Union pour la Qualité de l’Environnement.

In 1976-1977 he was the first director of the womb of the College established postgraduate center for heritage, which after several years grew at KU Leuven for the Raymond Lemaire Centre.

Werner Desimpelaere (°Roeselare, August 1, 1942) is a Belgian architect and urban planner.
Desimpelaere graduated in 1966 at the Higher Institute Sint Lucas in Ghent, as an architect and urban planner. He was an employee of the Group Planning and design partner soon. In 1989, he was succeeding Jan Tanghe, President of Group Planning.

Paul Lievevrouw is architect, M.Sc. in Conservation, director-president of the group Sum (SumProject / SumResearch) and professor at the Higher Institute of Architecture Sint-Lucas (international master in architecture) and the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC – KULeuven)..