Doors of Perception: Can a Detail Save the World?
Instructor(s):
Tomas Ooms / Vincent Matzmorr
Engagement:
Craftsmanship
Location:
Campus Gent
Language:
English
Semester:
Semester 1, Fall 2026
Description:
This studio begins with a single architectural detail in a post-1945 building. Through careful observation, modeling, and drawing, students will explore the potential of reusability, storage, and civic impact. The studio focuses on transforming underused or vacant buildings into civic spaces, using architectural details as catalysts for spatial and social change.
Students will work on a site in Gent or Brussels, engaging with the existing built environment to imagine new futures through adaptive reuse. The studio emphasizes craftsmanship, iterative design, and collective inquiry, culminating in the creation of a new architectural detail that reflects the building’s transformation.
Line of Inquiry:
Material Reality / Working With
Topic, Thematic Focus:
Adaptive reuse
Architectural detailing
Civic space design
Urban mining
Circular economy
Material banks
Vacant buildings as spatial resources
Key Questions or Provocations:
What is the civic potential of undervalued or underused post-1945 buildings?
How can a single detail reveal the spatial and material logic of a building?
Can architectural details drive urban transformation?
How can reuse and reusability shape design decisions and civic impact?
Methodologies or Formats:
Detail observation and analysis
Architectural modelling and drawing
Site visits and excursions
Collective research and discussion
Iterative design development
Design / Expected Outcome(s):
Students will develop a design proposal for a civic space based on the transformation of an existing building. The project will center on architectural details as instruments for reuse and civic engagement. Outcomes include a new architectural detail, spatial interventions, and a reimagined spatial contract.
Deliverables:
A3 Leporello booklet and a series of models containing a.o.:
Analytical drawings and sections
Detail studies and prototypes
Visual documentation of process and outcome…
