The 26m-high tower is the final piece in the transformation of Hasselt’s beguinage into a public garden for the city.

Lecture by Dirk Somers at TU Delft

Tuesday 19/03 14:00h, Room Q, Gebouw 8, Julianalaan 134, 2628 BL Delft

The Flemish government has appointed Bovenbouw and Christ & Gantenbein as the design team for the new M HKA, Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp.

Lecture by Dirk Somers at Politecnico di Milano

Tuesday 10/12 18:30h, Room 2.0.2, Edificio 2, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milano

Lecture by Dirk Somers at porada Skola architektury AVU

Friday 06/12 18:00h, Veletrzni 826/61, 170 00 Praha 7 – Holesovice.

Happy to announce that we won the Open Call competition to refurbish the iconic Beursschouwburg. Sustainable and radical empathy: our scheme builds upon the koolhaasian wunderkammer concept introduced 25 years ago by B-architecten and on the insights of the masterplan by De Smet Vermeulen Architecten.

Lecture by Dirk Somers at Interiors Buildings Cities design studio at TU Delft.

Friday 29/11 13:45h, Room T, Julianalaan 134, 2628 BL Delft.

We are happy to share that the European Commission and Europa Nostra announced that Royale Belge is among the ‘2024 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards’ in the category of ‘Conservation & Adaptive Reuse’.

Lecture by Dirk Somers on some observations about facades for Interiors Buildings Cities design studio at TU Delft.

Friday 11/10 13:45h, Room F, Julianalaan 134, 2628 BL Delft.

Contribution by Dirk Somers on project Werfstraat, Brussels, to the 20th KNB MasterClass Bonding Brick #5

Thursday 19/09, Berlage Hall, TUDelft

Lecture on Composite Presence following an atelier for the Bsc. Architecture at the ULiège

Wednesday 18/09 14H, Thiry auditorium, Place République Française, 35, 4000 Liège

We won the competition run by Bouwmeester Maitre Architecte for the Technicity 2 campus in Brussels! The florentine warehouse was done in collaboration with Czvek Rigby among others.

Our competition project to refurbish the brutalist Ter Plaeten office building in Ghent into a mixed use building was granted a first prize! The design made together with Jaspers-Eyers Architects consists of a new typological arrangement and a lighter alter ego that adds a new layer of complexity to the brutalist body.

Deelname aan Architect@work met als thema “Super Skin” met reflecties op het ontwerp van gevels door David de Bruijn voor Bovenbouw

Woensdag 11 september, Hal 1 van Ahoy Rotterdam

Dirk Somers participates in a five day summer school organised by The Architecture Foundation at the Caruso St John-designed St Pancras Campus, London.

From Wednesday 11/09 until and including Sunday 15/09 (10 am-5pm).

The Royale Belge project is nominated for the ARC24 Architecture Award because it’s an exemplary project that makes an important contribution to the wider societal cultural value of architecture.

The winner of the ARC24 Architecture Award will be announced at ARC24 Podium in Rotterdam on 26 September.

Series of lectures organised by the atelier URBAN NATURE for the academic year 2023.24, archi.ulb.be/un-urban-nature, as part of the Erasmus+ NeRu|New Ruralities programme.

Tuesday the 30th of April, 10:00 AM, ULB Faculté d’Architecture, La Cambre Horta, Campus rue du Lombard

Part of a lecture series “here + there” by established architectural practices and researchers that explore various topics of architectural discourse.

Thursday the 18th of April, 7:00 PM, Aula der Fakultät für Architektur, München.

The lecture series intends to bring attention back to a key topic in architectural education by bringing to the Academy of Mendrisio a series of European architectural practices that in different ways have successfully addressed the issue of living.

Thursday the 21st of March, 6:30 PM, Teatro dell’architettura, Mendrisio.

Thrilled to announce that Royal Belge has clinched not one, but two prestigious awards for the Best Conversion Project and Best Mixed-use Project at MIPIM 2024 Awards!

Thursday, 14th of March, Palais des Festivals, Cannes.

Royal Belge was chosen as one of two Belgian projects to the finals of the next MIPIM Awards, which will be awarded at the international real estate show. The building is competing in two categories: best conversion project and best mixed-use project.

From 12th to 15th of March, Palais des Festivals, Cannes.

The Real Estate Society (RES) on the 22nd of February announced the winners of the 6th edition of the RES Awards. The renovation of Royal Belge made in collaboration Caruso St John Architects and DDS+ has gained recognition and won the award for the best commercial development.

Lecture “Some reflections on Facades” for the masterstudio Interiors Buildings Cities at the Faculty of Architecture from the TU Delft.

The studio focuses on architecture accommodating different scales and gradations of public life in the city, going from the street to public interiors.

Friday the 24th of November, 3:00 PM, TU Delft, Delft.

Among 15 European architecture practices, Bovenbouw architectuur will be part of the exhibition ‘Hollein Calling’ in Vienna. The exhibition re-evaluates Hollein’s work from a contemporary perspective and its influence on architecture today.

Thursday 21st September 2023 – Monday 12th February 2024,

daily from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Architekturzentrum Wien, Vienna

We will give a guided tour through Tabloo, a Visitor Centre fot a Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility by ono architectuur and Bovenbouw Architectuur.

Wednesday 20th September 2023, 2:00 PM, Dessel

Tickets and info on the website of AR-TUR.

Together with VAi we organize guided tours through recently opened Royale Belge.

A reconversion of a former office building into a hotel, restaurant, offices, fitness & wellness, … we teamed up for with Caruso St John architects and DDS+.

Sunday 10 September 2023, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Dag van de Architectuur

organized by Vlaams Architectuurinstituut

Bovenbouw is appraised in Archello’s list “25 best architecture firms in Belgium“.

Tabloo, a Visitor Centre for a Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility together with ono architectuur.

Atelier Sergison from the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio (Università della Svizzera Italiana) will end its Spring Semester 2023, dedicated to a “Perimeter block⁠”, with their final review.

⁠Professor Jonathan Sergison, Cristina Roiz de la Parra Solano⁠, Flavia Saggese⁠ will have discussions together with guests Janina Gosseye and Dirk Somers about the student projects.

Thursday 1 June, 9 am⁠, Palazzo Canavée, Mendrisio, Svizzera.

We’ve moved!

From now on you can find us on our new address:

Lange Lobroekstraat 149, 2060 Antwerpen.

Tabloo, a Visitor center for Nuclear waste disposal facility together with ONO architectuur will be part of the exhibition ‘The New Together’ by Platform.

May 20th – July 30th, Casa Platform (Scuola Grande della Misericordia), Venice.

PLATFORM

An interdisciplinary workshopweek has its apotheosis with the “Detmolder-Räume Konferenz” in the Lippisches Landesmuseum of Detmold.

With a conversation about building ‘further’ between Miriam Van der Lubbe, ​Dirk Somers, Ella Ziegler and Anna Tscherch.

Wednesday the 10th of May, 20.30H, Lippisches Landesmuseum Detmold, Detmold.

Detmold Design Transfer

Presentation “OASE#113” about authorship(s).

A conversation between Veronique Patteeuw, Eva De Bruyn, Dirk Somers and Maarten Van Den Driessche.

Wednesday the 26th of April, 12.00H, Faculteitsbibliotheek Ingenieurswetenschappen en Architectuur, Universiteit Gent, Gent.

OASE

Book launch “Living in Monnikenheide: Care, inclusion and architecture” from the Flanders Architecture Institute and architect-philosopher Gideon Boie.
With a conversation between Olav Grondelaers and Erik Wieërs, Dirk Somers, Heleen Verheyden, Inge Vervotte and Resident Monnikenheide.

Tuesday the 25th of April, 20.00H, De Singel, Blue Hal, Antwerp.

Flanders Architecture Institute

The care campus in Ekeren got completed.

Large Care Campus – Antwerp

Lecture “Geschichte im Entwurf” for the Faculty of Architecture at the Technische Universität Dresden.

Wednesday the 25th of January, 19.00H, TU D, Dresden.

Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Architecture

Lecture “Een nieuw huis voor Architectuur” on the Beguinage of Hasselt for Architectenhuiskamer.

Thursday the 13th of October, Z33, Hasselt.

Architectenhuiskamer

Bovenbouw wins a competition to build a nursery, a center for child care and family support and an after school care facility on the site of the Kinderkasteeltje in Nazareth.

Exhibition Composite Presence travels to Hasselt, Z33.

Opening night, Saturday the 1st of October, 20H-2H.

Register at: Opening night fall program

Takeaways and projects, keynote lecture at Berlage on the 15th of September.

Takeaways and projects

Lecture on the work of Bovenbouw part of the “Architecture in the age of Neoliberalism”-series, at Studio Kempe Thill of Leibniz University Hannover.

Tuesday 03/05/2022, 19H

Lecture by Wim Boesten about the Royale Belge project (in collaboration with Caruso St John Architects and DDS+) for the TU Delft.

Royale Belge – Brussels

Lecture for University of Antwerp, organised by Modulor.

Thursday 17/03/22, 13H.

Lecture on the Biënnale 2021 at ICA, ULiège

Thursday 10/02/2022, 19H

ICA

Team Bovenbouw Architectuur-Korteknie Stuhlmacher Architects-BOOM Landscape-Sabine Okkerse has been appointed to shape the redevelopment of the Stuivenberg site in Antwerp-North.

Reconversion of the Stuivenberg site – Antwerp

Team Bovenbouw-Bart De Haene-Ciril submit the winning competition proposal for a residential development in Mortsel center.

Sint-Benedictus housing project – Mortsel

The works on the care campus in Ekeren proceed..

Large Care Campus – Antwerp

Online presentation of OASE 108/Ups & Downs and Oase 109/On Modernities with Dirk Somers amongst others.

Friday 14/01/2022, 15H-17.30H

Lecture at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture et de Paysage de Lille.

Thursday 09/12/21, 18.30H

Collage/maquette

Lecture at the EPFL about the Composite Presence exhibition.

Tuesdat 23.11.21, 17.30H.

Bovenbouw at EPFL

Participation in lecture series ‘Design-by-thinking-of-’ organised by Office Winhov Architects.

Wednesday 10/11/21, 19.30H, Amsterdam.

“Institution Building”, an exhibition organised bij CIVA, hosts in the chapter Preservation the Refurbishment of the Royale Belge building in Brussels (amongst other projects).

Institution building by CIVA

Introduction to book launch & exhibition “Ingressi Milanesi” by Dirk Somers and Dirk De Meyer

Thursday 07/10/21,

Vandenhove, Rozier 1, 9000 Ghent

Dirk Somers is head of the Jury for the ‘Best Interior Award’ at the Designers’ Saturday 2021 in Oslo.
New Norwegian National Museum, 10/09-12/09, Oslo

Designers’ Saturday

The Werfstraat Brussels project is nominated for the Brussels Architecture Prize 2021, category “small intervention”.

Your vote is highly appreciated!

Brussels Architecture Prize – Vote

Dirk Somers (Bovenbouw Architectuur) as part of the informal talk series
for the Contemporary is always over
Maybe there is architecture after ambiguity…?

UTS School of Architecture

Thursday 12th of August, 7.00pm

At the Biennale Architettura 2021, Bovenbouw Architectuur presents the exhibition ‘Composite Presence’ in the Belgian pavilion. By means of 50 reference projects, curator Dirk Somers shows the contemporary city in Flanders and Brussels in all its complexity.

Thursday 5th of August

Series of round-table discussions organised by Architecture Workroom Brussels on Architecture and Transition and Landing the Green Deal with Dirk Somers, amongst others.

Thursday 10/06/2021 at 13H

Our scenography ‘Composite Presence’ for the Flemish architecture Institute has opened in Venice. This fictional model landscape simulates the potential to improve weak urban surroundings by an intense interplay between the middle ground of city architects and quality chambers on the one hand and designers on the other hand.

Dirk Somers was invited as a guest critic to David Kohn and Bushra Mohamed’s Diploma Unit 19 at Architectural Association School of Architecture.

Redevelopment of Three Historic Houses

“Dirk Somers of Belgian practice Bovenbouw talks to Louis Mayes about the role of drawing, and the importance of viewing a sketch as a problem for discussion as much as a solution”

Bovenbouw Architectuur is in the process of creating a new home.

The British Council and Sto invites Dirk Somers as one of panelists in the online panel event on the topic “Can we Live Together?”

Online lecture on Bovenbouw for the University of Sheffield

Online lecture for the Oslo Association of Architecture

Thinking figuratively, online lecture organised by Archipel.

Flemish authors Charlotte Van den Broeck and Walter van den Broeck discuss their latest books in which architects play a central role. They are joined by a number of architects and architecture experts to reflect on this: Matilde Everaert and Dirk Somers. Bozar, Brussels.

Bovenbouw Architectuur, working in collaboration with Caruso St John Architects, have won the competition to convert the former headquarters of AXA into a complex that includes apartments, offices, coworking and conference facilities along with a hotel and fitness centre.

Design: Dirk Somers and Wim Boesten in collaboration with Caruso St John Architects

Photograph: Séverin Malaud

A Care Home, De Drie Platanen, Ostend wins the public award “De Groene Lente”, category neighborhood park.

The Antwerp-based office Bovenbouw Architectuur has been appointed as curator of the exhibition in the Belgian pavilion at the Biennale Architettura 2020 in Venice.

Biennale Architettura 2020

Photograph: We Document Art