ABOUT ME

From a young age, I’ve been confronted and fascinated by architecture in general. My dad would always take me with him to work during the school holidays to see the construction sites he was working on firsthand. I remember this always leaving a big impression. The Botanique tower in Brussels, with the two tower cranes on top during construction, or the Concentra printing house in Beringen, with its massive printing presses, was inspiring as a young boy. When I grew older I started to see the dirty aspect of the industry as well, that’s why I first chose to study biology and later landscape and garden architecture before returning to the construction industry.

 

In 2013, I started my studies to become a construction architect at the University College of Northern Denmark, UCN in Aalborg. I made the move to Denmark because of the study “Architectural Technology and Construction Management”.
I think this education is unique in the world because it bases the study on what is possible in the market, but also pushes us to challenge that market with new ideas, by treating each subject from a “problem-based learning” point of view. Architectural technology and construction management tries to combine architectural esthetics with the technical knowledge of an engineer, using the latest technologies and software. Therefore you could say that we were thought to be the bridge between the architect and engineer, but also towards the constructor and builders on site.

 

The university also left us very free to put our own accents and encouraged us to choose our own path within the boundaries of education.

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Throughout my studies, I have always tried to stay true to my vision of architecture and the building industry in general. Holistic and sustainable building techniques play an essential role in this vision of a building serving society, a building that becomes a keystone for the social - and urban tissue where it is placed, so that it in itself supports the social tissue around it. 

 

That's why I chose to study subjects like biomimicry, natural ventilation, heat-island effect, and more during my Electives. This gained knowledge which I then tried to incorporate as much as possible into the given projects, ranging from a family house to a multistory or mixed-used building. 

 

In my 5th semester, I was fortunate to do an Erasmus semester abroad in Architecture & urban planning at ISCTE in Lisbon, Portugal. This exchange semester challenged the designer in me but also allowed me to learn more about urban planning and urban geography, subjects that are crucial in understanding the social and planning aspects of a city and its urban tissue.

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The experience that made me grow the most as a construction architect must have been my time at Svendborg Architects in Copenhagen (Denmark). Svendborg architects stand for holistic design and therefore it was an ideal match from the very beginning. Being taken on as an intern for a large eco-housing project, I got the chance to be involved in every aspect of the planning and construction phases. After my internship, they also kept me aboard allowing me to take on more responsibilities and to develop skills that haven’t been focused on during my education, such as rendering, model making, interior design, and so on.

 

The knowledge that I gained from my time in Denmark, came to good use in my freelance work in the UK, where I did freelance work as an interior designer, and made me more confident about my qualities as a designer as well because it finally allowed me to do small projects from A to Z independently.

That being said, I do prefer teamwork a lot more. The amount of creativity you get from each other and the general ambiance that arises from working together towards a deadline is in my opinion indescribable.

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So moving back to Belgium, I was fortunate to be hired by a B2Ai. A big architecture company, but one that felt surprisingly homey as well. 

I only have gratitude for working with such talented people on some really cool and impactful projects. In that sense, Campus St-Michel will always be a project that I will be very proud to be a part of. Especially because I got to work with some very inspiring people on both sides of the table, on a very social building.

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It was again an experience that made me grow as an architect. And a confirmation that the baggage I got in Denmark was bigger than I thought. Working together in the field with the contractor came naturally, and the legislation in Belgium is less far than in Denmark. 

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But also an experience that helped me in my contribution to making Flower, Kakelbont, and Montgomery Square into the projects that they now are. And I also consider them examples of good collaboration between the different parties involved. 

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