What shifts are emerging in architectural practice today? Which materials, forms of knowledge and policy frameworks are shaping a more ecological building culture? In a new podcast series, the VAi and BC architects, studies and materials set out to explore innovative perspectives on architecture and building. Through conversations with architects, artists, contractors and researchers, they explore how bio-, geo- and urban materials are enabling new ways of thinking and designing.

The first season, New Aesthetics, examines the material culture behind a building’s appearance and experience. Check out the first episode, Designing with Nature, featuring architect Nicky Vancaudenberg (AgwA), contractor and designer Karel Loontiens (Aardig Gedacht & Studio Loho), and material researcher Theresa Zschäbitz (Bauhaus Earth).

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Where the Rio Grande flows into the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX’s rockets are launched. Welcome to Boca Chica, Texas, where Shifting Baselines turns its attention to Starbase, the launch site for Elon Musk’s SpaceX and a symbol of contemporary space exploration ambitions.

Through dramatic black-and-white cinematography, director Julien Élie brings together different perspectives: residents who are resisting the impact on their environment, scientists who are warning of space debris and light pollution, and enthusiasts who cheer on the launches and rally behind the dream of space exploration.

To mark the 100th anniversary of architect Juliaan Lampens’ birth, the Dhondt-Dhaenens Museum, the Juliaan Lampens vzw and the VAi are organising a symposium on 5 November 2026. International architects, historians, critics, engineers and academics will explore the enduring relevance of his body of work in lectures and discussions.

The programme will highlight both Lampens’ iconic residential projects and his public commissions, with a particular focus on the radical and idiosyncratic nature of his architecture. The symposium marks the start of a wider tribute, followed by an exhibition at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens and visits to the Van Wassenhove House.

Discover the full programme and book your ticket.

MAKER Architecten has been awarded the title for ‘YIMBY’ (Yes in my BackYard), a residential project in Kortrijk, Belgium that revitalises a 1920s garden-city neighbourhood without wholesale demolition.

"At a time when affordable housing, resource scarcity and social fragmentation are pressing challenges across Europe, we believe the existing city is one of our most valuable resources. Its buildings, materials and social networks all hold potential for the future." - Ana Castillo and Lieven De Groote, cofounders of MAKER Architecten

Two Belgian projects were shortlisted for the RIBA International Prize 2026, placing Belgium among just four finalists worldwide. In Brussels, Royale Belge transformed a landmark modernist office tower into a mixed-use destination, while in Hasselt, Z33 expanded a 1958 museum within the historic Beguinage using local materials and traditional construction techniques.

Benoît van Innis (1960–2024) was a Belgian artist and illustrator. From the late 1990s onwards, his practice increasingly expanded into painting and collaborations with architects. Benoît: Artist in Architecture is the first publication dedicated to his collaborations with De Smet Vermeulen, EM2N, jo taillieu architecten / advvt, Kraaijvanger Architects, Marie-José Van Hee, Robbrecht en Daem, noAarchitecten and Sergison Bates architects.

Through these projects, the book traces the creative exchanges between artist and architect and reveals how a shared authorship emerged at the intersection of art and architecture.

The seminar Rural–Urban Assemblages: Exploring the Continuum, taking place on 1 December 2026 at KU Leuven, ULB, UCLouvain and ULiège, treats the urban and the rural not as opposites but as overlapping, entangled qualities, made through infrastructures, landscapes, ecological systems, agriculture, commoning and everyday practices. Doctoral researchers, research-by-design practitioners, postdocs, and professors are invited to submit contributions that examine or question the urban-rural continuum.

On 27 October 2026, architect Wim Goes presents Potential Shifts, a lecture exploring Reverse Perspective, an ongoing research project that investigates architectural models as tools for intercultural dialogue. The lecture takes place at the Faculty of Architecture, KU Leuven in Ghent.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Master of Conservation of Monuments and Sites at KU Leuven, the RLICC 50 Years' Lecture Series reflects on conservation as a global and future-oriented practice. Across six lectures, leading experts explore themes ranging from heritage repair and governance to resilience, craftsmanship, documentation and practice-based research.