The architect’s house, the home the architect builds for himself, is a tool more powerful than one would imagine at first. As being the client, as well as the designer, the architect has hardly any constraints during the design and construction process, besides his own wishes. He can use his own house for instance as a unique opportunity for a technological or architectural experiment and cultivate his sense of “entrepreneurial daring” to the fullest. The house can also become a manifest, a pilot project, a masterpiece or turning point in the architect his career. Thereby it represents the best possible business card within the profession.
Publications
"Geërfd goed. De eigen woning van architect Georges Volckrick"
February 2021 (M&L)
In the first 2021 issue of M&L, Stephanie Van de Voorde, Chloé Verreydt, Harry Lelièvre, Tom Verhofstadt and Linsy Raaffels elicidate on the private recidence of Georges Volckrick in Watermaal-Bosvoorde (1958). Based on their different fields of expertise, the authors describe the remarkable house and studio, drawing on historical and archival research. As this relatively young built artefact was listed in April 2020, the article also discusses the issues related to the preservation of such, often fragile, post-war heritage.
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"Business cards of stone, timber and concrete"
June 2020 - Dutch publication; November 2020 - English version (Bulletin KNOB)
In june 2020 our article: "Business cards in stone, timber and concrete" was published in the Bulletin of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Oudheidkundige Bond. In the article we assess the significance of the architect’s house as a specific building type and reflect on the characteristics that distinguish this project from other building types. Based on the formulated characteristics, three architects' houses are studied in depth to better grasp their representative value and their functioning as a business card for the architect.
Documentary series: "Het huis van de architect"
Autumn 2019 (Bruzz TV and Bruzz.be)
This documentary series of ten was created in collaboration with Marjon Udo for Bruzz TV. The series sheds light on both renowned and lesser known architects’ houses while offering a unique view on the houses through the lens of the current owners their expierence. The houses were built between 1900 and 1986, ranging in style from Art Nouveau to Modernism. Some of the houses were already beautifully restored, others were on the verge of restoration and are therefore recorded prior to any intervention.
"Wij wonen in een schitterend gefaald experiment"
October 9, 2019 (Bruzz)
In the framework of the Bruzz series, we also published an article in Bruzz offering additional insights behind the scenes of these unique projects. Since designing the house you live in yourself often remains a fantasy for many, architects Luc Schuiten and Peter Swinnen elucidate on their love for their own home, while the owner of the personal house of architect Fritz Seeldrayers in Sint-Gillis offers us a sneak peak behind the ongoing restoration project and the many discoveries he made along the way.
"Er is meer dan Horta in de hoofdstad"
April 19, 2017 (Knack Weekend)
The research on architects’ houses in Brussels was picked up by Knack Weekend by virtue of our application to the ‘Vlaamse Scriptieprijs 2016’. This annual contest awards young graduates on their master thesis and promotes remarkable research to the press and publishers. The article was therefore dedicated to the research project, especially the preceeding master thesis (on which an article of 1000 words was submitted for the Scriptieprijs), while some lesser known architects’ houses are put in the spotlight.
"Zelf bouwen? Daar hebben we het geld niet voor"
February 25, 2017 (De Standaard)
The master thesis research on architects’ houses in Brussels between the late 18th and the 20th century was also picked up by the Flemish newspaper De Standaard. The architectural historical outcomes were complemented with interviews of contemporary architects such as Leo Van Broeck as up until today architects continue to innovate and experiment with their personal houses. Nevertheless, today more and more architects reside in an apartment or tend to renovate instead of designing a new construction.
"Architectenwoningen ontrafeld"
February 2, 2017 (Bruzz)
The research on architects’ houses in Brussels was already picked up by Bruzz early 2017. Within the article we explain how the preliminary register was composed and what the qualities of these remarkable houses are as communication thereon is of crucial importance to raise public awareness. Also the design part of the thesis was discussed. Even though this concerned a fictitious project, it illustrated the relevance of the architectural-historical research on current and future renovation or restoration projects.
Linsy Raaffels receives Doctiris grant
January 2017 - December 2020
In 2016, Linsy Raaffels received a Doctiris grant with which the Brussels Innoviris agency aspires to stimulate the collaboration between academics and professionals. The project "Architects’ houses in Brussels. Strategies for valorization" set out to examine architects’ houses and to identify the characteristics and qualities of these houses, while elaborating strategies for future restorations and renovations under the supervision of Inge Bertels and Stephanie Van de Voorde (VUB), and Barbara Van der Wee Architects.
Awarded the Brussels Studies Institute Award 2016
November 25, 2016
During the Night of Knowledge on Brussels 2016, Linsy Raaffels was awarded the Brussels Studies Institute Award 2016 for her master thesis on Architects' houses (and ateliers) in Brussels from the late 18th until the 20th century. The annual prize awards the master thesis that contributed most to a better understanding of the Brussels-Capital Region. In addition, Linsy had the opportunity to present her work during the Night of Knowledge to a broad audiance.
Selected as finalist for the ie-net prizes 2016
November 17, 2016
Out of 51 entries for the engineering prizes in Flanders and Brussels 2016, Linsy Raaffels was selected as one of the finalists within the category of civil engineering. The ie-net prizes award the most meritorious graduation works from the various engineering educations in Flanders and Brussels. The prizes are awarded by both the public and a professional jury. The jury graded the work based on a poster presentation. The poster presentation series of 2016 was held in Shopping Center Zuid in Ghent.