Architecture in Flanders and Brussels has come of age and is now firmly positioned on the international stage. How crucial is the role of architectural competitions in this story? The exhibitions Coming of Age, Architectural Competitions in Flanders and Brussels and Open Call, 20 Years of Public Architecture both shed light on 40 years of architectural competitions. And there's more... On this page you can find everything that is related to the project '40 years of competition'.
EXHIBITION
Using original documents and artefacts, both from the VAi collection and the archives of the participating architects, organisers and other related individuals, you’ll discover the stories behind some of the most striking architecture competitions from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
EXHIBITION
The first Flemish Government Architect (Vlaams Bouwmeester) was appointed in 1999. To mark the twentieth anniversary of this role in 2019, the Team Vlaams Bouwmeester organised a travelling exhibition dedicated to it best known instrument: the Open Call. After presentations in cities such as Ghent, Brussels, Hasselt and Kortrijk, the Flanders Architecture Institute is bringing a reworked and expanded version of the exhibition to De Singel.
BOOK
Flanders has had a Government Architect since 1999. The Government Architect advises public commissioning authorities with the aim of promoting the quality of architecture and the built environment. One of the methods used for this purpose is the Open Call. In the essays in this book, eight authors discuss, from different perspectives, why this influential ‘competition’ is not quite an architecture competition while at the same time being much more.
BOOK
The Open Call in Flanders is more than just another architecture competition: any governmental agency or public institution can choose to work with an Open Call for any given construction project. Since its invention by the first Flemish Government Architect bOb Van Reeth in 2000, more than 700 assignments have been published in this procedure, resulting in almost 350 completed public architectural and infrastructural projects so far.
OPENING
Both exhibitions open on 26 November, when we will also launch two new publications. For the Open Call exhibition, a series of interviews was conducted with, amongst others, members of the Team Vlaams Bouwmeester. In a video presentation, we let these voices do the talking. We conclude with a lecture on the role of the Open Call procedure within the architectural culture of Flanders and Brussels and an announcement about the supporting programme.
26.11.2021
De Singel, Antwerp
GUIDED TOUR
Join this free guided tour of the exhibitions Coming of Age. Architectural Competitions in Flanders and Brussels and Open Call. 20 Years of Public Architecture. Together with the curators and Jan Thomaes (DMT architects) we will take a closer look at the question 'What do architecture competitions mean for young architects?'
23.02.2022
De Singel, Antwerp
(Dutch)
BOOK PRESENTATION
On the occasion of the exhibitions 'Coming of Age' and 'Open Call', two publications were published on the theme of competition culture: More Than a Competition and Celebrating Public Architecture. On 8 March, Saskia van Stein (director of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam) will talk to the compilers and publishers of both publications. Prior to this there will be a guided tour of the double exhibition.
08.03.2021
De Singel, Antwerp
(English)
GUIDED TOUR
Join this free guided tour of the exhibitions Coming of Age. Architectural Competitions in Flanders and Brussels and Open Call. 20 Years of Public Architecture. The curators will explain the exhibits but will also delve deeper into the theme of competitions and urban regional developments.
15.03.2022
De Singel, Antwerp
(Dutch)
FINISSAGE
The exhibitions Coming of Age and Open Call are almost coming to an end. But that doesn't mean the end of the project 40 years of competition. The team of the Flemish Government Architect in collaboration with the Flanders Architecture Institute and the University of Ghent are planning a series of debates in the upcoming months. The finissage of the exhibitions will be the starting point. Join us on 25 March for the kick-off.
25.03.2021
De Singel, Antwerpen
from 27.11.2021 to 17.04.2022
Flanders Architecture Institute in De Singel
Desguinlei 25, 2018 Antwerp (BE)
Flanders Architecture Institute, De Singel, Team Flemish Government Architect, University of Ghent
Flemish Community
