lecture
An architectural civil society as the basis for a new building culture
In her lecture, Dr Sofie De Caigny argues that recent international attention to architecture from Belgium cannot be understood without the role of quality chambers, government architects and other spatial mediators. This civil society grew laboriously at the turn of the century after young architects had relentlessly pushed for it from below since the 1980s. Whereas civil society initially focused on good commissioning, we now see it assuming a crucial role in the reorientation towards a different building culture. That building culture should pay more attention to ecological regeneration, spatial justice and materials that are fairly mined and contribute to the climate challenge. Civil society thus contributes to landing the big issues of our time in very concrete, tangible architectural projects that contribute to the quality of life and housing for many.
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