SBE

Look Out Point in Vresse-sur-Semois has been selected for the Archello Awards 2026 Longlist in the Pavilion of the Year – Permanent category ! This recognition touches on a conviction that guides every project: context comes before personal signature. A structure’s identity can grow from the particular qualities of its setting, revealing what makes a place distinctive. In Vresse-sur-Semois, an elliptical path embedded in the terrain guides visitors from the shelter of the forest towards an open view over the valley. Through movement, discovery and moments of pause, the landscape gradually reveals itself. For me, good architecture makes its surroundings more legible, strengthens their character and adds to their value. A quiet intervention can carry an equally powerful voice. A pleasure to share this recognition with my colleagues and everyone who helped bring this place to life. Archello’s international jury will now evaluate the longlisted projects, with finalists announced in November. Fingers crossed! #ArchelloAwards2026 #VresseSurSemois #LandscapeArchitecture

Last week, a local councilor reminded me that a bridge can do more than accommodate cyclists and pedestrians : it can tempt people to change their route. With the Lysbrug set to open by the end of this year, these construction photos and visualisations show that potential is becoming reality. Projects like these take courage: significant investment, difficult choices and disruption along the way. Yet their impact reaches far beyond the bridge itself, opening up new possibilities for the surrounding area. What seems obvious once a bridge is built takes vision and determination from the client and their design team long beforehand. Visualisations help people imagine what they stand to gain: a new connection, a more enjoyable journey, a reason to cycle more often. And it certainly helps when your own husband can bring your designs to life so beautifully, long before they are built 🙂. Looking forward to crossing this one.

Bridges connect places. Participation connects people. On 12 November, I’ll join Carl Hanssens, alderman for urban development in Sint-Niklaas, at the 12th Symposium Fiets+Voetbruggen van de Lage Landen organised by Bruggenstichting, to share the story of the Gerardabrug. As its architect and project manager, I see involving people in design and construction as part of architecture’s societal responsibility. Over several years, students from local schools and STEM programmes explored the technical, spatial and societal choices behind a bridge they would later use themselves. That sustained collaboration made the project a shared learning process, rooting the new infrastructure in the community. Together, Carl and I will share our perspectives on design, local policy and education, with practical lessons for others looking to create similar connections in their projects and cities. Hope to see you there! #BridgeDesign #Infrastructure #CommunityEngagement

As an architect, you know a project is in good hands when the main contractor stands beside you, looking proudly at the final steel section ready to be shipped, and says how glad he is to help build real “kunstwerken”. In Dutch, the word means both civil engineering structures and works of art. That day, he meant both. A day later, on 26 September, the final steel section of the Firtelbrug was lifted into place over the River Leie in Zulte. A memorable milestone in a journey we have shared as a team: our colleagues at SBE, HERBOSCH-KIERE, CSM Steelstructures, De Vlaamse Waterweg nv and the municipality of Zulte. Seeing the bridge come together is immensely rewarding. So is recognising the care, craftsmanship and shared pride of the people bringing it to life. That conversation before the lift captured exactly what has made this collaboration special. Now it is up to all of us to carry that same attitude through the next three months, giving the remaining work the attention it deserves. And, if all goes well, we will celebrate by cycling across together at the end of this year. Watch the milestone on VRT NWS, link in the comments #BridgeDesign #Collaboration #ActiveMobility

A child’s independence starts with the route to school. In Flanders, this year’s Mobility Week focuses on child-friendly mobility and public space: enabling children to travel safely, confidently and independently. Commissioned by Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen and supported by Stad Sint-Niklaas, the Gerardabrug provides a crossing over a busy road along the F4 Ghent–Antwerp cycle route, strengthening connections between neighbourhoods, schools and the station. As its architect, I believe designing these routes means recognising that children experience space and traffic differently from adults. Helping them understand how their surroundings take shape is also part of architecture’s societal responsibility. At the Gerardabrug, pupils from local schools and STEM programmes followed the project over several years, learning why the bridge was needed, which choices shaped its design and what it took to build it. A route they would use themselves became an opportunity to understand the thinking and collaboration behind their everyday surroundings. Giving children the freedom to explore their city starts with the space we make for them, and the attention we give their experience. #WeekVanDeMobiliteit #ChildFriendlyCities #BridgeDesign

From infrastructure to public place. Work is well underway at the IEMANTS STAALBOUW workshop. Last week, together with contractor TM HERBOSCH-KIERE – IEMANTS STAALBOUW and our clients De Vlaamse Waterweg nv, AG Vespa and Stad Antwerpen, we inspected the first full-scale mock-up of the canopy. This is where an architectural idea really becomes tangible: proportions, material transitions, joints and edges can suddenly be experienced at full scale. More than simply checking execution, it is a shared design process with contractor and clients bringing together different expertise, testing solutions and refining details while maintaining the architectural intent throughout the reality of making. Because this project is not about designing a pontoon as an isolated object. It is about shaping a new place of arrival in Antwerp connecting city, water and public space. A project where spatial quality, technical performance, ecology, buildability, budget and public value come together in one coherent design. I’m looking forward to sailing into Antwerp through this new gateway early next year. Preferably by Waterbus, still my favourite way to visit the city with the kids.