De Belgische architect Marie-José Van Hee ontving op 22 augustus 2024 de prestigieuze Alvar Aalto Medal. Haar werkt omvat een variëteit aan projecten, van private woningen tot publieke ruimtes en cultuurhuizen. Van Hee is de eerste vrouw die de Alvar Aalto Medal in ontvangst mag nemen.
"“Marie-José Van Hee’s work shows a consistently sensitive, contextual, and finely crafted approach. Her architecture is rooted in its context and the surrounding landscape – not only reflecting but contributing to a Flemish local vernacular over the course of her career. Her work is characterised by a beautifully understated command of natural materials, light and proportions, producing quiet, intimate spaces, designed around daily life,” the Medal jury said in its statement."
Biography
Marie-José Van Hee (b. 1950) graduated as an architect from Ghent’s Sint-Lucas School of Architecture in 1974. In 1990, she established her own practice in Ghent – now Marie José Van Hee architecten.
Van Hee was Professor of Architectural Design at Sint-Lucas School of Architecture (1991– 2015) and Visiting Professor at ETH Zurich (2016–2017). Until 2022, she was a guest critic and lecturer at universities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland. Van Hee’s best-known works include the Fashion Museum “Modenatie” (1999–2003) in Antwerp her own home, House Van Hee (1994–1998), House V-D (2007–2020), both in Ghent, and House HdF (2007–2011) in Zuidzande, the Netherlands.
Alvar Aalto Medal
The medal bearing the name of Academician Alvar Aalto and also designed by him, was founded in 1967 to honour creative architecture. The medal can be awarded to living persons who have in a significant way distinguished themselves creatively within the field of architecture. The internationally renowned prize is awarded every few years.
Alvar Aalto Medal 2024 Jury members at the Studio Aalto (from left): Erkko Aarti (AOR Architects, Helsinki), Professor of Architecture Sharon Johnston (Johnston Marklee & Associates, Los Angeles), architect Finn Williams (Public Practice, Malmö), architect and journalist Tarja Nurmi (Finland) and architect Yvonne Farrell (Grafton Architects, Dublin).
The 15th Alvar Aalto Medal is awarded at the Alvar Aalto Symposium in Jyväskylä on 22.8.2024.
Lees het volledige persbericht (Taal: Engels)tentoonstelling
Van 30 november 2022 tot 21 mei 2023 was de tentoonstelling Marie-José Van Hee architecten. Een wandeling te zien in DE SINGEL in Antwerpen. De tentoonstellingsruimte werd tijdelijk omgetoverd tot de woning van Marie-José Van Hee en de architecte liet een reeks interventies uitvoeren op en rond de kunstcampus. Een wandeling was een unieke ontdekkingstocht in de wereld van deze grande dame van de Belgische architectuur.
Lees het interview met Marie-José Van Hee.