The structure of architectural theory in Flanders (1965-1995).

Architectural theory - the collection of theoretical approaches by which aesthetic, technological and societal challenges of architecture are defined and challenged – has only recently come to define itself as a field that is to play a major role in the education of future architects. The project aims to study this process of formation as it happened in Belgium during the period 1965-1995 (Belgium being a good example of a country that is – at that moment at least – following rather than leading international trends). The project will thus illuminate the circulation of theoretical knowledge by dissecting texts, buildings and visual images in which concepts were transmitted. Secondly, the project will concentrate on the role of architectural theory within architectural education and architectural practice. This will be done by studying how ‘gatekeepers’ - intellectuals, architects and teachers launching, adapting or contesting new ideas - thought about the role of historical consciousness (temporality) and spatial experiences (spatiality).