While every attempt of making architecture seems to drift off in rhetorics of programmatic organization and ironic provocation, form and space as such have become a rare good.
In our projects we try to counter this by making direct and precise spatial proposals, formal compositions without rhetoric. This literal architecture aims for a phenomenological experience, perhaps despite of its program.
Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen was founded in 2002 by David Van Severen and Kersten Geers.
David Van Severen (°Ghent, 1978) graduated in Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Ghent, Belgium and at the Esquela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura in Madrid, Spain. Since 1995 he designed and made several objects, installations and furniture. Until 2004 he worked for Stéphane Beel Architects in Ghent, Xaveer De Geyter Architects in Brussels and for Atelier Maarten Van Severen. He has been a teacher and guest critic at the Academy of Amsterdam, the TU Delft, The Academy of Arnhem, and the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, and he's currently teaching at the University of Ghent.
Kersten Geers (°Ghent, 1975) graduated in Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Ghent, Belgium and at the Esquela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura in Madrid, Spain. He was a project leader for Maxwan Architects and Urbanists in Rotterdam and for Neutelings Riedijk Architects in Rotterdam.(2001-2005). He is currently professor at the University of Ghent, and visiting professor at the School of Architecture in Mendrisio.
Current permanent collaborators (2011)
David Van Severen, ir. Architect
Kersten Geers, ir. Architect
Steven Bosmans, ir. Architect
Bert Rogiers, ir. Architect
Michael Langeder, Architect
Federico Perugini, Architect
Sophie Florence Wallis, Architecture student
Thais de Roquemaurel, Architecture student
Martin Dumont, Architecture student
Michele Mario Zanuso, Architecture student
Projects (selection)
| 2010 |
Office 95 'Ark', community centre, Tirua, Chile / invited by Pezo von Ellrichshausen Architects |
| 2010 |
Office 90 'Belvedere Walraevens', school building for agriculture, Leuven, Belgium |
| 2010 |
Office 84 'Boiler House', Somerset, Great Britain (in building preparation) |
| 2010 |
Office 82 'The Continous Monument', second world war museum in Gdansk, Poland (international competition) |
| 2010 |
Office 78 Library and entrance hall for the faculty of architecture and urbanism, University Ghent, Belgium. |
| 2010 |
Office 76 'Wall', Scenography for a play by LOD, performed at kunstenfestivaldesarts 2010. |
| 2009 |
Office 74 'Snow Valley Peer', competition i.c.w. META Architecten |
| 2009 |
Office 71 'Strategy for a lost Landscape', project for the Watou art village, i.c.w. Bureau Bas Smets |
| 2009 |
Office 63 Hatlehol Chruch, Norway, international competition i.c.w. Bureau Bas Smets |
| 2008 |
Office 61 'Villa Voka', Office uilding, Kotrijk. Invited Competition i.c.w. Bureau Goddeeris and Bas Smets, 1st Prize. Under construction. |
| 2008 |
Office 57 'Central Park Turnhout', Masterplan. Competition i.c.w. Technum, 1st prize. Under development. |
| 2008 |
Office 55 Extension Plantin-Moretus museum, Antwerp, Belgium. Competition |
| 2009 |
Office 54 Student Housing Kantienberg, Ghent. Competition i.c.w. 360 Architects |
| 2008 |
Office 51 '25 Rooms', Villa in Ordos, China, invited project, curated by Ai Weiwei |
| 2008 |
Office 50 'After the Party', Project for the Venice Biennale 2008, competition, 1st prize |
| 2007 |
Office 45 Kortrijk Xpo, Masterplan, Kortrijk, Belgium, i.c.w. Goddeeris |
| 2007 |
Office 44 3 Villa's, Ibiza |
| 2007 |
Office 41 Lake Side Villa, Keerbergen, Belgium |
| 2007 |
Office 40 Silo's, Leuven, invited competition, 2nd prize, i.c.w. Stéphane Beel Architects |
| 2007 |
Office 39 Villa in Buggenhout, Belgium, under preparation |
| 2007 |
Office 37 ‘A Green Archipelago’, invited international competition |
| 2007 |
Office 35 Cité de Refuge, Biennial Rotterdam, Special Mention |
| 2007 |
Office 33 Exhibition Architecture, Bozar, Brussels |
| 2006 |
Office 30 First Town, South Korea, invited international competition, honorable mention, i.c.w. Dogma and H&A Architects |
| 2006 |
Office 29 Observation Tower, Hoge Kempen, Belgium, competition, i.c.w. Util/Rolf Vansteenwegen |
| 2006 |
Office 28 Asplund Library, Stockholm, Sweden, International Competition, i.c.w. Richard Venlet |
| 2006 |
Office 27 ‘Housing and Cemetery’, for the Venice Biennial, i.c.w. Dogma Architects and Elia Zenghelis |
| 2006 |
Office 26 ‘Dessian Housing’, study for a housing complex, South Korea, ic.w. Dogma and H&A Architects |
| 2006 |
Office 24 ‘Oostende Werft’, exhibition design |
| 2006 |
Office 23 Bridge and Public Space for Handelsbeurs concert hall, Ghent, under construction |
| 2006 |
Office 21 Public Floor for Wiels Art Centre Brussel, invited competition, 1st prize, under construction |
| 2006 |
Office 22 ‘A garden and a block’, project for Prix de Rome, longlist |
| 2005 |
Office 20 Art Academy, Tienen, Belgium, invited competition |
| 2005 |
Office 19 ‘A Grammar for the City’, Masterplan for a new Administrative Capital, South Korea, international competition, 1st prize, i.c.w. Dogma Architects |
| 2005 |
Office 18 ‘Housing Wall’, housing complex, Milan, Italy, International Competition, i.c.w. Baukuh Architects |
| 2005 |
Office 17 ‘18 Rooms’, modern mansion in Ghent, under construction |
| 2005 |
Office 16 ‘35m3’, exhibition design, Antwerp, Belgium |
| 2005 |
Office 15 ‘Border Garden’, USA-Mexico, International Competition, 1st prize, i.c.w. Wonne Ickx |
| 2004 |
Office 12 ‘Museum In Motion’, museum for contemporary art, i.c.w. Dries Vandevelde and Richard Venlet |
| 2004 |
Office 10 University Library, Berlijn, International Competition i.c.w. Dan Budik |
| 2004 |
Office 9 ‘Fear and the City’, research project with Bas Princen and Milica Topalovic |
| 2004 |
Office 7 ‘Summerhouse’, house extension, Ghent, Belgium |
| 2003 |
Office 6 Belgian Pavilion Architecture Bienniale Venice, Competition, 2e prize, i.c.w. Dries Vandevelde, Richard Venlet and Laurent Ney |
| 2003 |
Office 5 Showroom and studio, Venice, Los Angeles |
| 2003 |
Office 4 ‘Non Stop’, object in minibricks, for Beople Magazine |
| 2003 |
Office 2 ‘Entrance’, Notary's Office, Antwerp, Belgium |
| |
|
| Solo exhibitions |
| |
|
| 2010 |
‘7 Rooms/15 Tables’, TU Delft, NL |
| 2009 |
‘7 Rooms’, deSingel International Art Campus, Antwerp, B |
| 2005 |
‘35m3’, deSingel international art center, Young Architects, VAI, Antwerp, Belgium |
| |
|
| Group exhibitions (selection) |
| |
|
| 2010 |
‘Garden Pavilion’, 12th Venice Archtiecture Biennale, by invitation of Kazuyo Sejima, i.c.w. Bas Princen. |
| 2010 |
‘West-Arch: A New Generation in Architecture’, in the Ludwig Forum, Aachen. |
| 2009 |
Office 51, ‘25 Rooms’, in Art Basel (curator: Territorial Agency), CH |
| 2009 |
Office 71 ‘Strategy for a Lost Landscape’, Watou Art Festival, B |
| 2008 |
Office 50, ‘After the Party’, on the 11th Biennial for Architecture, Venice |
| 2007 |
Office 35 in ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher’, Vienna |
| 2007 |
Office 35 in Biennial van Rotterdam, with theme “Power” |
| 2006 |
Office 27 in Biennial van Venetie |
| 2006 |
Office 17 in ‘Gent Morgen’, Ghent |
| 2006 |
‘New trends in Europe and South East’, traveling exhibition, Tokyo, Patras, Sydney, Luxemburg, ... |
| 2005 |
‘Wonderland’, Young European Architects, traveling exhibition, Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Zagreb, Ljubljana, ... |
| 2004 |
‘Groepsportretten’, Witte de With Art Gallery, Rotterdam |
| |
|
| Articles and publications (selection) |
| |
|
| 2008 |
Office 7 in De Architect, feb ‘08, Nolland |
| 2008 |
Office 7 in A+ 210, feb ‘08 |
| 2007 |
Office 7 in De Standaard Magazine |
| 2007 |
Office 35 in Mark Magazine, okt. 07 |
| 2007 |
Office 15 in ‘Memosphere. Rethinking Monuments’, 2007. |
| 2007 |
Office 35 in ‘Visionary Power’, NAi Uitgevers, Rotterdam |
| 2006 |
Office 19 in ’AAfiles’, nr 54, London |
| 2006 |
Office 19 in ‘A+ 200’, Belgium |
| 2006 |
Office 22 in boek ‘Prix-de-Rome 2006’, 010 uitgevers |
| 2006 |
Recent projects, in ‘XXI’, nr 41, Turkey |
| 2005 |
Office 19 in Architecture and Culture, December 2005, Z. Korea |
| 2005 |
Recent projects, in: ‘de Architect’, nr. 6, Netherlands |
| 2005 |
Border Garden - Jardin Frontera, in ‘Arquine’, nr. 32, Mexico |
| 2005 |
Recent projects, in Wonderland NL, Austria |
| 2005 |
‘tower and square’, in: ‘de Architect’ nr. 1 / 2, Netherlands |
| 2005 |
‘tower and square’, in: ‘Fear and Space, the view of young designers in the Netherlands’, Nai publishers, Netherlands |
| 2004 |
Entrance, in: ‘XXI’, nr. 29, Turkey |
| 2004 |
Notary Entrance, in: Architektur, 3/04, Austria |
| 2004 |
Recente projecten, in ‘DAMn magazine’, nr.0, Belgium |
| 2003 |
Notary Entrance, in: ‘A+ 185’, Belgium |
| 2003 |
Notary Entrance, in: ‘Frame magazine’, Netherlands |
| 2003 |
Notary Entrance, in: ‘A+U 184 driving through Belgium II’,Japan |
| 2003 |
Non Stop, in: ‘Beople magazine’, Belgium |
|
