In fin-de-siècle Brussels (ca. 1880-1914), modernisation deeply affected the experience of privacy and social coherence in an increasingly faster moving world. In research, the responses to modern life have been tackled from two angles. The first focuses on the emergence of an interiorised, private life in the modern domestic space, while the second focuses on new
In many Western countries, the field of interior architecture is characterised by an on-going identity crisis. The confusion becomes apparent via the diverse nomenclature: interior architecture, interior design and interior decoration. Furthermore, the discipline was often (and still is) perceived as feminine and amateurish. Attempts to correct this image have significantly characterised the professionalisation of
The research locates the everyday practices of South Asian migrant communities in South Africa within the chronicles of transoceanic narratives, providing insights into the spatialities associated with diasporic communities through a gender conscious perspective. It embraces inter-generational and inherited knowledge to create new categories in which the city can be investigated, navigating the intricate networks
In many countries, including Belgium, demographic changes imply an increasing proportion of older people. Because the large majority of people will enjoy relatively good health into old age, inevitably also the proportion of frail older people is growing. This poses particular challenges as to the organization of care. It has become clear that institutionalization of
The project, under supervision of Prof. dr. Anne-Françoise Morel and Prof. dr. Fredie Floré, investigates the role attributed to architecture and art in the deployment of the Belgian diplomatic network from the moment of its foundation until the outbreak of the second world war. It will do so by focusing on the embassy building, an
The theoretically-driven doctoral project The IKEA Home aims to offer an alternative, historical perspective of the evolution of domestic space by assessing the impact of an often-scholarly-neglected ‘architectural agent’ IKEA, the world’s largest home furnishing company. The thesis argues that since its foundation, IKEA, an emblem of capitalist, neoliberal consumer societies, has unprecedently impacted the
Due to a lack of affordable housing, Europe faces a crisis. The financialisation of housing, combined with an ageing demographic and changing living habits, makes access to housing in cities particularly difficult. Housing provision is often addressed through small-to-medium-sized infill strategies that ‘massage’ the numbers without disruption to existing settlements nor living types. One major
This doctoral research focuses on the formation and nature of spatial domains actually existing in contexts of conflict and displacement in the Middle East. Taking the case of Ramallah, Palestine, the study examines the relation between spatial layouts, social identity and the production of patterns of rights in diverse urban settings. The research concerns two
Pierre-Louis Flouquet (1900-1967) is mainly known for his abstract paintings and poetry. But, between 1922 and 1967, he was a key figure of the architectural debate in Belgium especially because he was the country’s most prolific writer and editor on design, architecture and urbanism. He wrote several thousand articles published in magazines and newspapers, several
Exploring the possibility of a negotiated place in-between the dialectics of accumulation and dispossession Case of Gurugram (Gurgaon) City, India The city of Gurugram in India, stands as a frontier to India’s new neoliberal urban spatiality. In just two decades, it had transformed from a mere agricultural suburb to India’s new ‘globurb’. While much of