Photographer: Tim Van de Velde | ArchDaily

No Solid Ground: Three Approaches to Building Below Sea Level in Rotterdam

Olivia Poston — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Architects carefully calibrate their relationship to the earth, adjusting foundations to soil, groundwater, climate, risk, and culture. Driven timber piles, rammed-earth platforms, and poured concrete slabs are each a response to a specific set of ground conditions, and each shapes the architecture that rises from it. The way a building meets the earth determines its durability and its limits because foundations are among the most consequential design choices an architect makes.

The Lab / VAK architecten

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

At the request of the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Antwerp, a new research hangar is being designed for biological studies on sea and river water in relation to air, soil, and maritime biotopes.

Unearthing the Ground: Architecture and the Politics of the Subterranean

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Beneath the visible surface of cities lies an invisible architecture. Subways, tunnels, water systems, data cables, and bunkers form a dense network that sustains urban life while remaining largely unseen. The ground beneath our feet is not a void but a complex territory that holds the infrastructures, memories, and anxieties of our age. In recent years, as land becomes scarce and climate pressures intensify, architects and urbanists have turned their gaze downward, rediscovering the subterranean as both a physical and conceptual frontier. To design underground is to engage with the unseen mechanisms that shape the world above.

Garden No. 2 – Limburg / Camarim Arquitectos

Susanna Moreira — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 02:00:00 +0000

A house with a large garden and, in the background, a small cabin. Our clients asked us to redesign the cabin and add a swimming pool – a summer area in the garden.

Georges House / hé! architectuur

Valeria Silva — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Kaat restores artworks, and Thomas works for the VRT. They bought a typical, narrow house in the Brussels sub-municipality of Anderlecht for their family of three children. The house was cluttered with several small outbuildings and a tiny garden. The main asset was the clear view towards the back, allowing natural light to flood in during the morning and afternoon. The visual axis ends in a view of the former Veterinary School, a monumental complex from the 19th century.

Bawada Residence / TOOP architectuur

Hadir Al Koshta — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The house is located in a rural area, only ten minutes from the city center of Bruges. Lying on the site where the fortress of Fort Damme once stood, the location marks the boundary between the village center and the expansive flat 'polder' landscapes. The existing building on the plot had no connection with its surroundings. Repositioning the building was necessary to maximize the gardens. By carefully considering the green spaces and preserving all existing trees, the relationship with the surroundings could be strengthened without losing privacy.

Kasteel Home / hé! architectuur

Pilar Caballero — Thu, 29 May 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Hé! designs a flexible home that can adapt and grow over time with its occupants: Frederik, Els, and their two daughters. They decided to remove the rear annex, which was not part of the original house. In its place, they add a compact, tall, and open extension that brings generous natural light into the home and connects the interior with the garden.

Omloop Farmhouse / hé! architectuur

Pilar Caballero — Tue, 27 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

In the 1990's, Marc and Ann bought a 'turnkey farmhouse-style' home in the Pajottenland. Their two daughters grew up in the house. Both Marc and Ann work in the social sector.

Karper Building Renovation / hé! architectuur

Hadir Al Koshta — Wed, 21 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The renovation involves the conversion of an industrial building into housing with a coworking space and studio on the ground floor. It is an upside-down home with the living spaces all the way upstairs to provide maximum light and privacy.

Pavilions in Urban Spaces: On the Experimentation, Recycling, and Reuse of Materials

Agustina Iñiguez — Thu, 15 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

How do pavilions emerge in architecture? What role do they play in urban spaces? Beyond the multiple interpretations that exist around the world, the pavilion, as an architectural principle and typology, tends toward extroversion, often associated with a centrifugal nature and visual openness toward the horizon, which is linked to its origins as a tent offering shelter from the elements. Pavilions are usually identified as isolated and independent structures that can promote lateral openings in the urban space, panoramic or introspective views, technological reflections, and material experiments that are recognizable from the outside or once inside.

Renovation Park Villa Eindhoven / Wenink Holtkamp Architecten

Hadir Al Koshta — Sat, 10 May 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Building new, highly sustainable structures often contradicts sustainability if it means demolishing something first. That's why, as a firm, we frequently opt for large-scale renovations instead of demolishing and rebuilding, provided that the existing building has enough valuable qualities. This approach was also applied to the iconic 1970s villa in Eindhoven.

Hidden Villa / i29 architects

Valeria Silva — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

A former estate along the Dutch coast has been transformed into a park-like residential area, with a strong focus on preserving its cultural and historical identity. Monumental trees, distinctive architecture, and stunning views make this estate a delightful place to live.

Villa WIGO / CAS architecten

Valeria Silva — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

One project, two volumes, three materials, and four architects: that is residence WIGO in a nutshell, a project by the Belgian firm CAS Architects in collaboration with the client/architects. If you further unravel the concrete villa, layer by layer, you will also discover a fascinating interaction between enclosed and glass spaces in the living areas, while gaining a new perspective on architecture on the boundary of open and enclosed living. Villa WIGO is located in East Flanders in Belgium and consists of two newly built houses that hug the front yard in an L-shape. They were combined in a design that passed through the hands of two couples of architects. With owner/architect Anton Gonnissen and wife Inge on one side and Pieter-Jan and Jovanca from CAS architects on the other, two generations devoted themselves to the project.

DeDe House / OYO

Pilar Caballero — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000

OYO Architects, an architectural studio based in Ghent and Barcelona, is led by Ferran Massip, Nigel Jooren, Eddy Soete, Veroniek Vanhaecke and Lies Willaert. They present DeDe House, one of their most unique housing projects. Located in Drongen, just outside Ghent, this unique 369 m2 house preserves the soul of the site by fusing it with contemporary design. DeDe House respects the inherent beauty of its surroundings and is fully customizable for the current and future needs of its residents, being the perfect example of adaptive design.

Buda Recypark Industrial Center / A229 + evr-Architecten

Pilar Caballero — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 11:00:00 +0000

The new logistics site of the Agence Bruxelles Propreté/ Agentschap Net Brussel located along the Brussels Canal near the Buda Bridge, embodies a harmonious fusion of functionality, sustainability, and aesthetics. This project revitalizes an underutilized area into a modern logistics hub while perfectly integrating with its urban environment.

Veterinary School in Anderlecht / HASA - Architecten

Valeria Silva — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 15:00:00 +0000

The historical Veterinary School in Anderlecht lies at the origin of the Cureghem quarter. After over 20 years of disuse, the main building is converted into a business and conference center aiming to boost the economic revival of the area. The functional program of the client was rethought to respect the existing layout of the listed building: auditorium and restaurant in the large academic halls on the 2nd floor, office space on the ground floor, 1st floor, and attic. Two newly excavated patios allow for daylight to enter the meeting rooms in the refurbished basement.

Louvrex Building / A229

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Transparency and Flexibility: The New Face of HEC Liège - The University of Liège has recently opened its new office and teaching building aimed at centralizing the activities of the Haute École de Commerce (HEC) at the Louvrex site. This ambitious architectural project, located in a dense yet green neighborhood, meets functional and aesthetic requirements while respecting the existing urban heritage.

Miel & Eline House / atelier vens vanbelle

Valeria Silva — Fri, 31 May 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Miel and Eline bought Irene's house with accompanying pub and stable. Not long before, this house was a weekly stop for a handful of farmers from a village outside Ghent. On Thursday mornings at five o'clock there was the weekly cattle market, so every Wednesday evening the cows were unloaded here and escorted to the stable behind the house. Afterward, the former resident Irene served some beers in the café on the street side, just like in about twenty other so-called slaughterhouse cafés in what was considered one of the roughest neighborhoods in Ghent thirty years ago. Today this district is a popular neighborhood with only a few vague memories of the past.