5 October 2021 - 27 October 2021

Library of Ostend

Ostend

Unfolding the Archives #4 Construction Firms

Building sites are very much places that are ‘in transit’: every day, contractors work step by step on the creation of a new environment. With hidden treasures from the archives of these construction firms, we offer you a glimpse behind the scenes of the building process.

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Wederopbouw van de Sint-Katharinekerk in Hoogstraten (1950). Verstraete & Vanhecke, Wilrijk

From design to completed project

With this exhibition, we train the spotlight on buildings in the making: from design to completed project. The archives from the construction sector contain a wealth of information. To an even greater extent than the archives of architects, they shed light on the act of construction itself.

Unfolding the Archives #4 © Dries Luyten

Bouw van een brug over de Schelde in Melle (jaren 1940). Infrabel, Brussel

Archive documents

Using construction site photos, publicity leaflets, design plans, magazines and letters, this exhibition sketches out how the role of the contractor and the collaboration between contractors and architects has evolved since the nineteenth century. These documents illustrate the various construction phases and all the construction specialists involved in them. Also covered are the technical knowledge and tools needed for the implementation phase. Using the project dossiers from a handful of prominent projects in Ostend and beyond, we take a close look at the construction process of our built environment.

Unfolding the Archives at the Festival of Architecture

The exhibition Unfolding the Archives #4 Construction Firms is part of the third edition of the Festival of Architecture.

More about the Festival of Architecture

Practical

date

07.10.2021-27.10.2021

open

Opening hours

entrance

free

location

Library of Ostend

street

Wellingtonstraat 17

Postal code

8400

city

Ostend

organisation

Vlaams Architectuurinstituut

curator

Jelena Dobbels

Maquette van de Vleeshuiswijk in Antwerpen, 1965, ontworpen door Dries Jageneau en Armand Vermeyen’, uit het archief van Dries Jageneau, Collectie Vlaams Architectuurinstituut – Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap

Unfolding the Archives

In the Unfolding the Archives series, the Flanders Architecture Institute exhibits major pieces, hidden treasures and striking discoveries from its collection. It enriches contemporary architectural themes with a historical dimension, shows newly acquired archives to visitors for the first time, or elucidates prominent figures or moments from architectural history.

More about this project