aNNo architecten bv

World Urbanisms Seminar 2024 – KU Leuven REFLIP-panel 28.06.2024 11h30-12h30 Architecture without Extraction Architects and urban landscape designers increasingly take up the challenge of building and maintaining built environments with as little pressure on natural resources as possible. This ‘circularity’ shift requires creativity and adaptability from designers and all stakeholders involved in the built environment. How to conceive, draw, develop, adapt, build, and maintain architecture without extraction? Which changes are required in terms of building practices and cultures, design attitudes, education and legislation and where do we stand right now in Belgium? Join us in a panel discussion on architecture without extraction -         Gerrits, Yuri (WIT, KUL) Barn Bricolage (circular building explorations i.c.w. materials bank Leuven) -         Ellen Verbiest and Charlotte Timmers (REFLIP project, KUL): circular industry park Kortrijk-Noord (design scenarios winter school REFLIP) -         Jean Garcin (Karbon Brussels): project Général Jacques 202 (maintenance as architecture) -         Stijn Cools (aNNo architecten bv, KUL): Visitation Monastery (heritage inspired narrative for circular architecture)   Moderator Julie Marin (KUL) more info on WUS organized by INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF URBANISM at KU LEUVEN: https://lnkd.in/dwxGaQPe

Have you ever heard of Meer, the small 🇧🇪 Flemish village between Belgium and the Netherlands? For years, the only public space in this village was a wide road between old farm buildings. But car traffic took over after the Second World War, and villagers lost that little shared space.   Thankfully, in 2005, nine villagers got the attention of local entrepreneurs, regional social housing authorities, community welfare services, and an interdisciplinary design team of heritage architects. 🤝 Together, they managed to acquire a 19th-century historic convent that was under threat of privatisation and turn it into the first public square in the history of Meer.   The Convent Meer was in close contact with the 👱 villagers through regular meetings in which the plans, stages and challenges were shared and discussed. 🥁 Several cultural events and social activities, like village markets and music festivals, were organised on-site to ensure awareness and participation.   Today, public functions and 🏡 social housing units are centred around this historical monument and the newly-founded square. The Convent Meer project is a great example of how local heritage can reconnect us with our communities and create a sense of belonging. 🎖️ It is also one of the inspiring applicants for the #NewEuropeanBauhaus Prizes in 2023.   ✨ Let's celebrate a year of bold and brave initiatives and make 2024 even more incredible! #SocialInnovation #PublicSpace #SustainableArchitecture

🎓 It's with great joy that I share the successful presentation of my latest progress in my ongoing PhD research, Revalue, before the members of the Supervisory Committee the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning. 🌟 🏛️ Throughout my journey, I've been deeply committed to research the practice of aNNo architecten bv that combines architectural heritage preservation and design research. Tabula Plena, a concept I've been exploring, represents not just a collection of buildings and artifacts but a vibrant tapestry of stories and experiences woven into the urban fabric. 🔄 In my exploration, I've indentified five emerging attitudes that blend ecological consciousness with cultural appreciation: from embracing #circularity in materials, components and products, to finding new functions via #adaptivereuse, and from celebrating the serendipity of "As Found" to nurturing informal urban practices like temporary use and commoning, along with #experimentalpreservation. 🔍 These attitudes have come together to form a new framework for architectural heritage preservation, one that respects and builds upon the rich theoretical foundation laid down over more than 250 years by the Conservation Movement. This framework encompasses the five thematic tracks that were identified during the theoretical part of the research: the foundational, functional, critical, contextual, and artistic perspectives. Toghether they provide a comprehensive approach to heritage preservation as an embedded cultural praxis form the perspective of #care. 📚 As I eagerly anticipate the final leg of my PhD journey in the year ahead, I'm looking forward to delve deeper into these ideas and contribute to the ongoing discussion on the architecture of alterations. A heartfelt thank you to the incredible team aNNo architecten bv for their inspiration and my academic committee at KU Leuven— prof. Thomas Coomans, Harold Fallon, Caroline Voet, and at Columbia University New York - Jorge Otero-Pailos — for their unwavering support and guidance throughout this remarkable journey sofar. #PhDResearch #ArchitecturalHeritage #Preservation #TabulaPlena #CircularEconomy #AdaptiveReuse #CulturalChange #HeritagePreservation #ResearchFramework #KULeuven #aNNoarchitecten