El Croquis #226 – OFFICE Kersten Geers David van Severen 2017–2024

This monographic issue examines recent work by Belgian architects Kersten Geers and David Van Severen and their Brussels-based firm, OFFICE, which was established in 2002 as a means of exploring the prospect of architecture within the contemporary culture and urban environment. Currently a team of about 40 architects, it has evolved a practical and pragmatic approach to design in which architecture becomes nothing less than a civic obligation. An overview of 25 projects, including a crematorium, dental clinic, and art gallery, is introduced by a conversation with Giovanna Borasi, director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, and the two founding architects.

OFFICE was established as a means of exploring the prospect of architecture within the contemporary culture and urban environment. While constructing a theoretical project of architecture, OFFICE has developed a practical and pragmatic approach to design, combining skill and cunning for an expeditious decision-making process, to make architecture as a civic obligation.
In parallel to this practice, OFFICE directed design studios at various institutions, including the Academy of Architecture USI, Mendrisio where Kersten Geers is currently a Full Professor, and Harvard GSD where he and David Van Severen together serve as Design Critics in Architecture. This educational activity – and the various outcomes of research in design – stands in direct relation to the work and is documented under the moniker “Office Without Office”.