After years of experience in education, research, design and policy, Professor Marcel Smets, former Flemish Government Architect, compiles his insights on the city and urban design in a personal booklet.

In his search for the foundations of urban design, Marcel Smets puts forward thirty complementary pairs of concepts. He starts from archetypal settlement forms (ribbon and cluster, ladder and star), typifies morphological categories (street and road, island and archipelago) and highlights ch...

EDGY COFFEETABLE BOOK FILLED WITH DREAMY HOUSES IN A WILD NATURAL SETTING, FOR ADVENTURES AND LOVERS OF BEAUTYPhotographer Mirjam Bleeker and stylist and designer Frank Visser have known each other for more than 18 years. During this time, they have travelled around the world together, often without a fixed plan, seeking adventure and beautiful houses. On their travels, they visited the homes and holiday retreats of some fascinating people, built in the most beautiful and unspoiled places, fr...

In 2012 Luster published Belgium's Best Buildings, an elegant and easy-to-use pocket guide for architecture fans and for everyone who is curious about architecture in Belgium. That same year, the book was nominated as 'One of the most inspiring architecture books of 2012' by Architectura.be and The Word Magazine presented it as one of the 'Six of Belgium's Best Travel Guides'. The concept of the book hasn't changed for this new updated and expanded edition: starting from the top ten lists of ...

Colonial Tales, Trails and Traces takes Brussels' colonial imprints — found in many of its statues, squares, street names, monuments, buildings and institutions — as a starting point to dive into Belgium's colonisation of Congo. Through a critical analysis of the very meaning behind the enduring presence of these colonial markers, Nicholas Lewis demonstrates how Belgium remains a fundamentally racist country, due in no small part to its decades of colonial deceit and denial. Focusing spec...

Re-Framing the Politics of Design is a research, exhibition and book project exploring the role of designers in collaboratively giving shape to future changes addressing complex challenges such as climate change, mobility and migration. By looking at concrete, situated case studies, this book explores the current need for designers to re-frame their political agency, engaging with the deep relationality connecting us all, humans (and not only those who already have a voice in society and are...

Élise Van Thuyne has been working as an interior architect since 2005 and has already renovated over 70 private homes, offices and studios. This book offers a unique insight into her world, in the form of various reportages about some of her projects, which could be described as both invisible and profound. The book opens with a chapter on Élise’s own home, as well as offering a detailed overview of the renovation of the studio of the artists Muller Van Severen. The photos by photograph...

- 12 city walks along modernist gems -

Toerist Modernist is a tribute to Belgium’s lesser-known modernist heritage. It all started with

an online heritage platform. In 2019, Gerlin Heestermans created toeristmodernist.be to share her passion for beautiful modernist houses and buildings and draw attention to their heritage value and vulnerability. Many of them currently do not have official monument status. Since then, spotting these gems, and ringing people’s doorbell to ask if she can ta...

Transcending the boundaries of traditional portfolios, Morphē by Van Damme•Vandeputte Architects is much

more than a collection of architectural achievements. It is a profound exploration of the architects’ journey and an ode to the power of architecture to instigate change, shape environments, and evoke a symphony of emotions that resonate deep within the human soul.

Morphē, meaning ‘form’ or ‘shape’, encapsulates this transformative essence; this book invites you to explore th...

Whether you’re using a top-notch camera or the one on your phone, anyone can practise being more present through photography. 'One Photo A Day Keeps the Doctor Away' will help you do just that, through 160 photography challenges that help you to slow down and look around.

To inspire you, each challenge is accompanied by a carefully selected quote, sourced from a diverse collection of books by inspiring thinkers, writers, artists and philosophers – all of them experts in the art of looking...

As an art lover and connoisseur, journalist Eric Rinckhout lost his heart to the South of France. In this guide, he sets out to prove that when talking about art and culture, the region between Collioure and Menton can easily compete with Paris. This book is more than just a guide for visitors: it makes for an excellent, instructive and inspiring read for anyone who’s keen to learn more about the artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers who lived and worked in the South of France. Relying...