RECAP VAi x W*iAB Walking with Eliane Havenith

This walk was organised by the Flanders Architecture Institute in collaboration with Women* in Architecture Belgium (W*iAB) and forms part of their project Reflective Cartography: Mapping Female Perspectives in Architecture in Flanders. Through this project, W*iAB aims to raise the profile of women’s work in architecture by literally putting their contribution to the built environment in Flanders on the map via Google Maps.

Heritage walk in the footsteps of Eliane Havenith

Together with researcher Femke Van Dycke (University of Antwerp), who drew on her study of Havenith’s multifaceted roles, we explored Antwerp during ‘Walking with Eliane Havenith’.

This was not a traditional architectural walk from building to building, but a route that focused on networks, parallel practices and roles.

We started at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, where Havenith graduated as an architect in 1942 as one of the first women to do so, and where she later taught Theory of Architecture herself. From there, we followed a route past places that connect her professional and cultural activities. A surprising stop was Galeria Inno, for which she designed gift wrapping paper. From 1952 onwards, she was also involved as a trustee at the Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
The walk took us past some of her most significant projects, including the Spaarkrediet office building (with the museum extension), the Gontcharuk-Deckers apartment block, and the Extensa NV building. More personal sites were also included, such as the Filles de Marie school (today known as St. Lucas Antwerp) and her home on Albertstraat.

Moment of reflection on roles and possibilities in architecture

We concluded at De Singel with a moment of reflection featuring contemporary voices: Elisabeth Gérard, Gwenn Mariën and Laura Muyldermans. The discussion began with the question of how ‘fluid roles’, from mother to activist or teacher, are not separate from architecture but actively shape it. Are they an economic necessity or conscious choices?

From that question, the conversation shifted to the conditions within which such roles are possible. The importance of networks and support structures emerged strongly, as did their influence on flexibility, feasibility and risk within an independent practice. Questions regarding privilege, access to role models and who can afford a career as an architect ran like a thread through the discussion. Visibility and representation proved crucial for self-confidence, ambition and the ability to position oneself within the profession.

Architecture was thus approached not only as a profession, but also as a way of life: interwoven with care, community, personal life and social engagement.

Help build the map

Reflective Cartography: mapping female* perspectives in architecture in Flanders, is the first large-scale initiative to systematically chart the architectural contributions of women* in Flanders. An interactive online map documents buildings, renovation projects, landscape designs, objects, and other spatial realizations. Through an open call, W*iAB invites both professionals and the general public to submit projects and thus actively contribute to the further development of the map.