stijn COOLS
PhD Candidate, Guest professor KU Leuven, campus Arenberg
Stijn Cools practices, teaches, and researches architecture and heritage conservation. His educational background in engineering sciences and architecture in Belgium and Italy, along with a postgraduate degree in monument and site conservation at KU Leuven, has given him a thorough grasp of these subjects. In 2008, he formed aNNo architecten in Ghent, which specializes in the convergence of architecture and preservation. Since 2017, he has been a tutor at KU Leuven, where he teaches theory and design of renovation.
The continuing PhD project REVALUE examines and challenges the traditional boundaries between architecture and history, as exemplified by environmental consciousness with regard to the urban condition of the Tabula Plena.
Supervisor: Thomas Coomans, Co-supervisor: Harold Fallon, Assesors: Caroline Voet, Jorge Otero-Pailos
research groups LAP (A&D) and Architecture in Practice (A&D)
BARBARA OELBRANDT
PhD Candidate, Guest professor KU Leuven, campus Arenberg
Barbara Oelbrandt holds a bachelor’s of KU Leuven and a master’s degree of TU Delft in engineering sciences, architecture. In 1999 she started working as an architect in Barcelona, followed by working at BLAF architecten in Belgium since 2006. From 2010 onwards, she combines architecture practice and teaching at KU Leuven.
Under the title The cavity wall is dead!, her practice based research as a PhD candidate started in 2021. The aim of the research is to explore, evaluate and draw alternative building concepts combining a wooden inner structure and biobased insulation with loadbearing facing bricks.
Supervisor: Karen Allacker, Assessors : Gustaaf Roels, Ann Heylighen
research groups LAP (A&D) and AE (D&E of C&A)
ward VERBAKEL
PhD Candidate, Guest professor KU Leuven, campus Arenberg
Ward Verbakel holds a degree as Civil Engineer Architect (KU Leuven) and Urban Design (GSAPP Columbia University). Since obtaining his professional license in 2006 he co-founded PLUSOFFICE architects and urbanists, a practice in Belgium working on various construction and design research projects, ranging from landscape urbanism and master planning to public buildings and housing projects. Their design research on the productive city and village urbanism has been internationally published and exhibited.
Ward previously taught at GSAPP Columbia University, New York and is president of the artistic board of the magazine A+ Architecture in Belgium.
Currently he coordinates the master urban project studios at KU Leuven and is conducting a PhD research on the practice of Village Urbanism.
Supervisor: Bruno De Meulder, Co-supervisors: Michiel Dehaene, Frits Palmboom, Martino Tattara
research groups LAP (A&D) and OSA (UULP)
GOEDELE DESMET
Associate Professor KU Leuven, campus Arenberg / Architect associate BOB361
After graduating as an engineer architect in 1985, Goedele Desmet obtained a postgraduate degree in ‘Conservation of Architectural and Urban Heritage’ at KU Leuven. She is founding partner of BOB361 architects (1999), a leading office with expertise in quality group housing.
Goedele has been actively involved in education at the Faculty of Engineering Science for a long time. She took up assisting the design studios in 1996 and became senior instructor in architectural design ten years later, in 2006. She is responsible for ateliers in the third bachelor year, exploring residential typologies and high-density qualitative housing developments. From her practice, Goedele introduces themes within education, with a variety of programmes such as renovation, individual housing, public functions and design plans on a larger scale.
YURI GERRITS
PhD Candidate, Guest professor KU Leuven, campus Arenberg
Yuri Gerrits studied architecture at KU Leuven (2002) and urban design at the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies at UCLondon (2005). Following a four-year collaboration with FPA architects on a diverse range of masterplan projects in the UK and internationally, he joined the practice of WIT architecten in Leuven where he is a partner since 2014. After teaching at the post-graduate programme in urban design at UCLondon until 2010, he currently combines his work in practice with teaching and research at KU Leuven and a position in the planning commission of the City of Leuven.
His experience in projects at the intersection of architecture and urbanism forms the basis for a PhD. He started Stubborn Grounds in 2021, focusing on the relationship between incremental transformation processes and landscape at the small grain of the urban tissue.
Supervisor: Bruno De Meulder, Co-supervisor: Guido Geenen
research groups LAP (A&D) and OSA (UULP)
Els Van Meerbeek
PhD Candidate, Guest professor KU Leuven, campus Arenberg
Els Van Meerbeek is an architect practitioner, researcher and teacher at KU Leuven, holding a master’s degree in engineering sciences, architecture (KU Leuven 1998). After collaborations with Flores Prats and De Smet Vermeulen, she founded her own practice Carton123 in 2008. She combined architecture in practice with conducting research for OSA (1999-2002) and teaching at the Faculty of Engineering Science, KU Leuven (2001-05).
After being a guest teacher at TU Delft (2019-20), she returned to her alma mater, where she is currently teaching the first bachelor students. Her doctoral research A world of drawings started in 2020 and focuses on the power of architectural drawing in both practice and education.
Supervisor: Kelly Shannon, Assessors: Guido Geenen and Ricardo Flores
research groups LAP (A&D) and OSA (UULP)
GUIDO GEENEN
Associate Professor KU Leuven, campus Arenberg / Architect associate WIT architects
Guido Geenen is an engineer architect, serving as Professor of Architectural Design at the Department of Architecture at KU Leuven. With a background in architectural projects and years of experience at ‘Projectteam Stadsontwerp’ under the leadership of Marcel Smets, he founded the practice of WIT architecten in 1994.
His approach to engage in architecture as an urbanist, and ‘doing urbanism as an architect’ ripples through his activities in practice and academia. Until today he combines his work at WIT architects with teaching and co-supervising ongoing PhD research.
KAREL VANDENHENDE
Associate Professor KU Leuven, campus Arenberg
Karel Vandenhende holds a master’s degree in engineering sciences, architecture (KU Leuven 1993) and has been actively involved in education at the Faculty of Engineering Science ever since. He is currently senior instructor in architectural design and is responsible for courses related to interior design.
Karel combines teaching with writing, where his interests lie in pedagogy and minimum dwelling.