Everyone is welcome to attend the book presenation and lecture by Prof. Dr. Caroline Voet, on 27 March 2025, 6 p.m. at the Faculty of Architecture, campus Leiekaai (Leiekaai 18, 9000 Gent)
In times where re-building and care for the built environment are in need of explorative sustainable solutions, methodological insights on how to include human scale, atmosphere and sensory perception into the design process are key. This lecture introduces the latest research by Prof. Dr. Caroline Voet on the work of the Dutch Benedictine monk and architect Dom Hans van der Laan (1904–91). His thoughts on perception of space, numerical relationships and dimensional systems culminated in the realization of an elementary architecture. A House to Live With, written in dialogue with nephew Hans W. van der Laan, is the first book to comprehensively explore the residential buildings designed by Van der Laan and his companions. They are a testimony of a joint venture in the search for what it meant to build a house. Where van der Laan’s cloisters are built for the eternal human being, these houses are built for the daily life of families. Sixteen of them, built between 1966 and 1985, are explored over the seasons with photographer Annabelle Stampaert, and analyzed with regard to their compositional logic. The lecture traces the design genealogy that demonstrates how spatial effects acquire the compelling intensity of a haptic dialogue, and what design principles lie at its foundation. This deep reading and formal understanding of architecture and the built environment offers tools for the complex design challenges of the future.
This free event is open to all. Learn more and register here.
The event will be followed by a networking reception where the book will also be offered for sale.