On our 31st stop, we are travelling east, direction Brussels (BE)…or rather, to “ouest” to meet Stephan Damsin and Jans Harens, the duo behind “ouest architecture.”

ouest architecture thrives in the spaces left unfinished and unsolved, " there is a room for unsolved things and for a bit of ambiguity”. In their vision, not every problem has to be be fully solved. “We are interested in ways to repair stuff without hiding that it has been repaired,” they explain, a philosophy that calls for embracing the imperfections rather than smoothing them away.

Their approach invites a rethinking of architecture’s role in urban life.

How far can one question the brief? Can we question it so much that the kitchen ends up to be left out of the program?

“What are the opening hours, what is the price of the coffee? All these things are so important for how the building works in the city.” 

“How to make a building as a swiss knife?”, they ask. I do too.

What does adobe’s strategy on “progressive discloser” has to do with architecture? Maybe nothing.

“Color pencils and excel tables” are all you need to do architecture.

Guest: Stephan Damsin, Jan Harens  (Brussels, Belgium)

Host: Ana Catarina Silva (Porto, Portugal)

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