Compagnie-O

According to Francis Catteeuw and Joke Vermeulen, openness and versatility are key aspects of their practice in Ghent. The two architects have been working together since 2002. Both have held teaching positions at Sint-Lukas University in Brussels and the Catholic University of Leuven. They have undertaken a wide variety of projects. In the last three years, Compagnie-O have designed residential and administrative buildings, a sports school and a pavilion for the Belgian Coast Guard. Nor does their formal language reveal a uniform signature; instead, the architects take on each new building task with an open mindset – true to their motto, “Dancing with a problem is infinitely more effective than just staring at it.” This approach is evident in the primary school in Lebbeke, which Compagnie-O shielded from an adjacent access road with a protective wall that simultaneously shapes the urban space.

© Christoph van der Eecken