Archival material relating to the Women and Housing Working Group (1981) has recently become part of the VAi collection. This material sheds light on an underexplored chapter in Flemish architectural history: the intersection of architecture and feminism in the 1980s.
The Women and Housing Working Group was founded in 1981 in the Vrouwenhuis [Women’s House] in Leuven, on the initiative of architect and urban planner Danie Staut. The Working Group asked itself the question: what kind of built environment aligns with an equitable society? Starting from the belief that the single-family home is an outward manifestation of patriarchal power dynamics, the group explored alternatives such as collective housing models, communal facilities, and safer public spaces for women.
The public highlight of their activities was the nationwide study day Wonen en woonomgeving vanuit vrouwen bekeken [Housing and the living environment from a women’s perspective], held on 13 October 1984 at De Warande in Turnhout, organized via the Elcker-Ik federation of Adult Education Centres [Volkshogescholen]. The well-attended gathering looked at feminist perspectives on architecture, alternative forms of community, neighbourhood participation, and the position of professional women in the sector.
This acquisition stems from a long-standing research project at the VAi on the heritage of women designers and feminist networks. Due to the significant gap in architectural historiography surrounding this theme, tracing the related networks, individuals, and surviving archival materials proved challenging.
This is therefore not a typical, clearly delineated archive. It currently consists of donations from four different people who, to a greater or lesser extent, were involved in the Working Group, or related activities. Danie Staut (architect, urban planner) was a founding member of the Working Group, and organized the ‘Space for Women’ [Ruimte voor Vrouwen] courses through Elcker-Ik Leuven, among other initiatives. Leen De Becker (interior architect) was predominately active at Vluchthuis Mechelen [Mechelen Refuge] and in the FEMSOC movement. Els Huigens (landscape architect and spatial planner) developed checklists for social safety in public spaces and station environments, before founding the firm Fris in ‘t Landschap. Gerd Van Limbergen (training provider) was active in the Groep Rooie Vrouwen (GROV), and at Vluchthuis Tamar [Tamar Refuge], as well as working at Elcker-Ik Antwerp.
The archival material comprises brochures, newspaper articles, publications, photographs of workshops, checklists, an audio recording, and slide series. Together, these fragments weave a narrative of overlapping networks, activism, and feminist architectural critique. The acquisition underpins the exhibition Unfolding the Archives #9: Feminist Perspectives 1980–1990, which opens on 2 April at the VAi in DE SINGEL.
Exhibition
UTA #9: Feminist Perspectives 1980 - 1990
03.04.2026 - 28.06.2026
Opening 02.04.2026
DE SINGEL, Antwerp
