The architect changemaker
Instructor(s):
BC architects & studies & materials represented by : Wes Degreef, Hélène Dorny
Engagement:
Craftsmanship
Location:
Brussels
Language/Taal:
English
Semester 2, Spring 2026
- View the presentation (pdf)
The course is designed to challenge the traditional notion of architecture by integrating the ‘act of building’ into the process of designing.
Based on an analysis of future users’ needs, students will choose to design and build a shelter for a nature lab in the vegetable garden at the Klimpaal School (Brussels), or a new sun-shading system for the KU Leuven Brussels campus. In both cases, design decisions will emerge from an in-depth engagement with material research.
In this studio, design is initiated through the exploration of fibers and their transformation into textile systems. Students will investigate fibers as raw material and as the basis of textile production, learning how they can be transformed into functional and spatial elements. Students will investigate either local sources of natural fibers—such as flax, which is present in Belgium—or re-used textile materials, including veils, nets, or ropes for example.
Design emerges through making, with material behavior guiding form and performance.
Line of inquiry/Onderzoekslijn: Context based material & building techniques / Resource-based design / Hands-on approach / Construction site
Topic, Thematic Focus/Thema: Act of building, bio-sourced material, building techniques & craftmanship
Key Questions or Provocation/ Centrale vragen en provocaties:
- How do materials, construction flows and building techniques affect design
- How can local resources become building material ?
Methodologies or Formats / Methodologie:
Fieldwork, documentation and research, material & design research, model-making, thinking through the eye of a craftsman, hands-on design
Design / Expected Outcome(s) / Ontwerp / Verwachte Resultaten:
Phase 1 : Design proposal for either sunshading or shelter for nature-lab
Phase 2 : Construction scale 1:1
Deliverables / In te dienen documenten:
Design phase : booklet with building steps, details, execution plans and model
Execution phase : construction of an elected design – building and follow-up of construction site, budget, planning, reporting, material ordering, …
- Find the studio brief as pdf here.