What We Share

THEME

What we share

In 2024-2026, VAi focuses on shared spaces where people live and gather together. Architectural design and urban planning can enable and enrich the social interactions between people, and propose new forms of co-existence in the built environment, both together with other people and various species. What we share are more than spaces, but also histories, cultures and everyday habits. With this theme, we aim to show the intricate tapestry of collective spaces, examining their impact on the social patterns, cultural narratives and natural landscapes of our communities.

The theme shapes the programme of VAi in different formats, such as exhibitions, workshop series, publications and movie screenings; and in various perspectives, ranging from collective housing to participatory design, urban nature to spaces of assembly. One of the first productions in this theme is the Dogma: Urban Villa exhibition (4 October 2024 – 9 February 2025, De Singel) and book (co-published with Black Square). With this, the Brussels-based architecture office Dogma explores the potential of the urban villa typology for contemporary collective living arrangements. At the same time, during the Fall of 2024, VAi runs a series of workshops, titled Participation for Real, to develop a critical reflection on the existing participatory design processes today in Flanders and Brussels, in collaboration with Timelab, Ghent. Over the years, the theme of What We Share will outline an exhibition on the history of green spaces and daily urban living, and another on architecture’s engagement in generating and enriching social interactions among diverse groups of people.