The latest issue of the prestigious architecture magazine CASABELLA (No. 982, June 2026) focuses on contemporary architectural studies of shelters, microstructures and miniature designs, and also features a special section dedicated to the Danish architect Hans Christian Hansen.
Who’s watching who
On page 20, you can read an article by Marc Dubois, architect HonF RIBA, about the landmark at the Wonderwoud site in Ghent: Tower for Animals and Human. In the six-page article, Dubois explores how the structure reverses the usual roles of observation between humans and wild animals.
Commissioned by the Agency for Nature and Forests and in collaboration with the City of Ghent, URA constructed a contrasting concrete structure set against the natural landscape. This striking observation tower in Ghent’s Wonderwoud combines architecture and nature by not only offering visitors a panoramic view, but also providing integrated nesting and shelter sites for birds, bats, insects and small mammals, thereby creating a shared space for humans and animals.
With this publication, CASABELLA once again reaffirms the international attention being paid to contemporary architecture in Flanders and Brussels.
CASABELLA
The Italian magazine CASABELLA, founded in 1928, is a bilingual publication in Italian and English. Another distinctive feature is the magazine’s large format: 28x31 cm.
URA in the VAi Buildings Database
A comprehensive overview of projects by URA/Yves Malysse and Kiki Verbeeck is available in our buildings database. View images, texts, plans and project details. These include, amongst others, the construction of BLB shelters in Bruges, the De Rhille Community Centre in Diksmuide and the Foster Care Centre for Flanders-Brussels in Leuven. The latter project was nominated for the Flanders Architecture Prize 2026.