Project
The fellowship for which funding is available aims to develop research on several exceptional buildings from the 1960s and ‘70s that take on a central role in the urban fabric, of which some are currently derelict or in physical decay. There is an acute lack of insights to guide their status as monuments, the processes of reconversion facing the future as well as the high demands for restoration. This research aims to generate more knowledge on these ‘pioneering buildings’, developing specific methods that combine design and practice-based expertise with theoretical research. Architects as Juliaan Lampens, Paul Felix, Jan Tange, Paul Meekels and Lode Wouters were designers/builders rather than being theoretically engaged, passing on their ideologies, skills and knowledge through their practices and teaching. This observation defines the research field. Firstly, case study analysis compare archival research with its (un)built manifestation. Secondly, this research builds up a historiography and contextualisation of these ‘pioneering practices’ and their international relations, creating an overarching narrative.
The fellowship situates itself at the crossroads between architectural theory and practice. It has both a historiographical and an operative aim. The successful applicant will write a PhD-dissertation within the overarching theme the Practice of Architectural Research (www.architecturalresearch.be). The project is chaired by Prof. dr. Caroline Voet and Prof. dr. Jo Van Den Berghe, both KU Leuven Department of Architecture.