Feminist Perspectives 1980–1990 looks back at Flanders in the 1980s, when the struggle for gender equality also reached the architecture sector. The exhibition draws on the rich archival material of the Women and Housing Working Group [Werkgroep Vrouwen en Wonen]. Together with designers and educators, Danie Staut, Els Huigens, Gerd Van Limbergen and Leen De Becker organised study days and workshops in search of alternatives to patriarchal society.

From 3 April onwards, visit the exhibition at DE SINGEL in Antwerp and discover how historical precedents continue to resonate with today’s questions about housing, space and equality.
(Unfortunately, the opening event is fully booked.)

The VAi and PAF (Platform for Architecture & Feminism) are organizing a series of four roundtable discussions to coincide with the exhibitionUnfolding the Archives #9 Feminist Perspectives 1980-1990. During the morning sessions, Evelien Pieters (PAF) engages in dialogue with feminist voices from the 1980s–1990s, as well as with contemporary designers, researchers and activists. The discussions start from archival materials, experiences, and practices.
Save the following dates:

24.04.2026 #1 Craftwomenship. Ticket(s) & info
08.05.2026 #2 Public Space. Ticket(s) & info
29.05.2026 #3 Activism as practice. Ticket(s) & info
12.06.2026 #4 Women's movement. Ticket(s) & info

For centuries, women* around the world have shaped cities, designed buildings, and helped to innovate the discipline of architecture. Yet their names are conspicuously absent from official history. Out of the Picture delves into this blind spot and brings the women* behind architecture back into the picture. Through the voices, work, and life stories of twenty female architects, director An. Ash Smolar exposes the mechanisms of exclusion in this documentary.

What can be created when love and imagination reinforce each other? Stardust: A Story of Love and Architecture draws you into the intimate universe of Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi, two of the most influential architects of the second half of the twentieth century.

Yet their journey also had its shadows. In a male‑dominated world, Denise often had to fight for recognition. The controversial awarding of the Pritzker Prize — from which she was excluded — became a symbol of inequality within the architectural field.

For long, women* have been leading, designing and building across Flanders and Brussels. With a new map, Women* in Architecture Belgium (W*iAB) aims to make these contributions more visible. The project aims to document over 200 projects of diverse scales and contexts, with a focus on work led by women* in partner, principal or comparable leadership roles, as well as historically significant collaborative contributions where their contributions have long remained underrepresented.

Through a public call, W*iAB invites everyone to submit projects and help build a living cartography.

Archival material on the Women and Housing Working Group [Werkgroep Vrouwen en Wonen](1981) has recently become part of the VAi Collection. This material sheds light on an overlooked chapter in Flemish architectural history: the intersection of architecture and feminism in the 1980s. The acquisition forms the basis for the exhibition Unfolding the Archives #9: Feminist Perspectives 1980–1990, which opens on 3 April at the VAi in DE SINGEL in Antwerp.

The VAi has acquired the archive of Martine De Maeseneer Architecten (MDMA), a theoretically underpinned and conceptually innovative architectural practice founded in 1988 by Martine De Maeseneer and Dirk Van den Brande. The extensive archive includes preparatory drawings, sketches, photos and slides, and models, as well as publications and theoretical texts. Together these provide outstanding insight into the thinking and design methodology of MDMA’s architectural practice.

The archive sheds light on the work and voice of a woman* architect. This transfer helps to fill gaps and highlight underrepresented actors in the collection.

As part of the Cultural Heritage of Urban Planning project, new information sheets on women* were recently added to the VAi Archive Hub. Although eighty-two new sheets have been included, there is still a stark gender imbalance: only one in eight registered sheets concerns a woman*. Moreover, for only fourteen women* were we able to determine whether — and where — their archives are preserved. Beyond the design field, many women* moved into education, public administration, politics and civil society.

To mark International Women’s Day, you can browse a selection of publications about and by women* designers in the VAi reading room. Drawn from our collection and the library depot, these works unveil often-forgotten voices, invaluable perspectives, and groundbreaking contributions of women* in architecture, design and urban planning.

We warmly invite you to visit our reading room throughout the month of March to explore these sources and be inspired by the rich heritage they bring to light.

* We use an asterisk after women* to express inclusivity and to draw attention to the diversity within this group. The asterisk indicates that the term does not refer solely to cisgender women (women whose gender identity corresponds to the sex assigned to them at birth), but also includes trans women, non-binary people who identify with femininity, and other gender identities that fall under the umbrella of womanhood. Using the asterisk helps us communicate a broader and more inclusive definition of femininity.