Dierendonckblancke

Dierendonckblancke architecten is based in Ghent and was founded in 2009 by Alexander Dierendonck (°1971) and Isabelle Blancke (°1973). The office portfolio includes projects of different scales and programs, ranging from cultural centres, educational buildings and care projects to private and collective housing projects.

In 2019, Dierendonckblancke’s work was displayed in a solo exhibition ‘PRAXIS’ at the Palais des Beaux Arts BOZAR (Brussels). Following this exhibition, a monograph was published by Koenig Books.

Since January 2023, Jürgen Vandewalle (°1986) has been a partner of the office.

The office’s approach is based on pragmatic preconditions, rather than merely aesthetic considerations or theoretical frames of mind. Essential to their architecture is the reconciliation of complex, often contradictory parameters into clear and readable diagrams. By attentively converting these schemes into built form, a clear, generous spatiality is attained, which enables their buildings to respectfully claim their place within a provided context.

 

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Together with Dierendonckblancke’s ongoing collaborators L.U.S.T. architecten, DBLV architecten (Dierendonck – Blancke – Lust – Van De Ginste) was founded in 2020.

www.dblvarchitecten.eu

ISABELLE BLANCKE (°1973, Veurne)
graduated in Architecture at Sint Lucas in Ghent in 1996. She founded Dierendonckblancke architecten together with Alexander in 2009. Alongside the office, Isabelle has been invited to sit on a number of awards and competition juries and is a jury member for several architecture schools and institutions in Belgium. Isabelle was also member of the editorial board of the ‘Architectuurboek Vlaanderen n°14’ in 2019. Prior to starting Dierendonckblancke architecten, Isabelle worked for several offices in Paris and in Belgium, such as Agence Dominque Perrault, Agence Patrice Mottini and TV Stéphane Beel – Xaveer De Geyter.

ALEXANDER DIERENDONCK (°1971, Nieuwpoort)
graduated in Architecture at Sint Lucas in Ghent in 1994. He founded Dierendonckblancke architecten together with Isabelle in 2009. Alongside his role within the practice, Alexander was a visiting professor at the Peter Behrens School of Architecture in Düsseldorf in 2017 and is a jury member for several architecture schools and institutions in Belgium and abroad. He has been a member of leading group ‘Pilot projects living: New forms of collective living in Flanders’ and ‘Agrarian Architecture’ for the Flemish Government. Prior to starting the practice, Alexander worked for several offices in Paris including Agence Dominique Perrault and Agence Manuelle Gautrand.

JÜRGEN VANDEWALLE (°1986, Roeselare)
evolved from furniture maker to architect. After training as a woodworker, he studied interior design and architecture at the Sint Lucas campus of LUCA School of Arts in Ghent and at the University of Cincinnati. With working experience at Areal Architects and TRANS architectuur | stedenbouw, he is currently project architect at Dierendonckblancke and also realises projects in his own name. Being a reporter for Ar-Tur, for the Vlaams Bouwmeester and being a freelance journalist for A+, Jürgen is always on the lookout for remarkable architecture. Moreover, as a former city councillor and from social commitment, he always keeps a finger on the pulse of socio-economic topics.

Current collaborators

  • Liese-Lore Avermaete, architect
  • Gaël Biache, architect
  • Abdul-Malik Dalsaev, architect-engineer
  • Stijn De Pauw, architect
  • Charlotte De Vreese, architect-engineer
  • Tilde De Vylder, PR and procurement
  • Gosia Gołąbek, architect
  • Silke Jacobs, architect
  • Théo Laurent, architect
  • Sophie Poblome, office manager
  • Linde Redant, architect
  • Sylvia Roelens, architect
  • François Ricciardi, architect
  • Jinse Van Snick, architect-engineer
  • Carolien Vereecken, architect
  • Clément Viroulaud, architect

Former collaborators

Lorenz Adriaens, Rasa Anaityte, Sarah Bijtebier, Isaïe Bloch, Sara Callebaut, Jasper Caenepeel, Leen Corthier, Simon Dauwe, Pierre de Brun, Eva De Hovre, Brenda De Neve, Nicolas De Paepe, Victor De Smet, Marie Decoene, Loes Decruynaere, Ward Delbeke, Guillaume Delporte, Xander Denduyver, Shirin Depreeuw, Simon Dhooghe, Lauren Dierickx, Jean-Nicolas Ertzscheid, Jolien Fleurent, Emma Fonfoneata, Guglielmo Giagnotti, Rosalie Gielis, Bart Hanssen, Julie Helewaut, Julie Hilderson, Yasmine Houari, Lise Houben, Sandrine Janssens, Ménélik Jobert, Franky Larousselle, Sophie Lauvrys, Lisa Lu, Jacopo Luini, Amir Malakouti Jordan, Adam Masset, Leen Martony, Nina Mathieu, Zarichelli Mendelez, Agathe Moreau, Pieter Mouton, Karolien Noyez, Koen Pauwels, Enver Peeters, Ricardo Ploemen, Ionut Popa, Ana Potinha, Catherine Pyck, Andreea Radulescui, Gilles Retsin, Goele Reynders, Tom Ryckaert, Corné Schep, Koen Schoukens, Dennis Schouwers, Lin Seminck, Louis Seynaeve, Arne Standaert, Linde Stellamans, Benoît Streicher, Karel Sucaet, Clément Talbot, Maarten Thys, Cédric Toussaint Pico, Delphine Van Aerde, Senne Van Buggenhout, Bram Van Cauteren, Marit Van Der Jeugt, Carmine Van der Linden, Silke Vandamme, Lennart Vandewaetere, Veroniek Vanhaecke, Evelyne Vanhoutte, Lore Verheyleweghen, Tuur Vermeiren, Simon Vermote, Wim Voorspoels, Jasmien Wouters, Najiw Zemmouri, Noémie Zurbriggen

Awards

  • Architectuurprijs Gent, 2021, collective housing Nekkersput (DBLV)
  • EU Mies Award, 2019, non-residential OC Kasterlee
  • BigMat Awards, 2019, non-residential De Tol
  • EU Mies Award, 2019, non-residential Het GielsBos
  • BigMat Awards, 2019, BigMat National Prize Belgium Het GielsBos
  • Architectuurprijs Koksijde, 2017, non-residential Torp
  • FAB Awards, 2015, non-residential De Leege Platse
  • FAB Awards, 2015, collective housing Het GielsBos
  • Prijs voor Architectuur van de Provincie West-Vlaanderen, 2015, non-residential Het GielsBos
  • Belgian Building Awards, 2014, residential Het GielsBos
  • FAB Awards, 2013, single-family house Gelukstraat
  • Belgian Building Awards, 2012, non-residential Bank office Harelbeke
  • Prijs voor Architectuur van de Provincie West-Vlaanderen, 2011, non-residential Spikkerelle
  • FAB Awards, 2011, single-family house Twaalfkameren
  • ArK#01, Architectuurprijs van de Kust, 2010, innovative project Open air swimming pool (DBLV)
  • FAB Awards, 2009, non-residential Spikkerelle
  • EU Mies Award, 2009, non-residential Spikkerelle
  • FAB Awards, 2006, single-family house
  • Architectuurprijs Koksijde, 2006, single-family house
  • FAB Awards, 2003, collective housing

Lectures

Publications

Exhibitions

  • Small is beautiful, Tiny Architecture
    December 30, 2020 La Fenêtre Montpellier
  • XII International Architecture Biennale
    From October 13, 2019 to December 8, 2019 São Paolo, BR
  • Back to School, Scholenbouw van morgen
    October 12, 2019 De Singel, Antwerp, BE
  • Open Oproep. 20 jaar architectuur in publieke opdracht
    August 12, 2019 VANDENHOVE Centrum voor Architectuur en Kunst, Ghent, BE
  • Alternative Histories
    May 12, 2019 Mayfair London, UK & CIVA, Brussels, BE
  • Dierendonckblancke, Praxis
    From April 4, 2019 to June 23, 2019 BOZAR, Brussels, BE
  • Verloren Ontwerpen
     From May 18, 2017 to May 21, 2017 Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Hasselt, BE
  • A Minor Architecture
     January 1, 2017 Espacio Valverde, Madrid, ES Twaalfkameren
  • MAATWERK MASSARBEIT, Custom Made Architecture from Flanders and the Netherlands
     From October 12, 2016 to February 4, 2017 Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt, DE Spikkerelle
  • Prijs voor Architectuur van de Provincie West-Vlaanderen 2015
    October 12, 2016 Brugge, BE Het GielsBos
  • XX Models – Young Belgian architecture
     From June 12, 2013 to February 1, 2014 Architecture Biennale, Shenzhen, CN Spikkerelle
  • Architectuur in context
     From January 12, 2013 to February 6, 2013 Museum M, Leuven, BE Spikkerelle
  • XX Models – Young Belgian architecture
    From September 1, 2012 to June 14, 2013 BOZAR, Brussels, BE
  • Prijs voor architectuur van de Provincie West-Vlaanderen
    February 1, 2012 Spikerelle, Avelgem, BE Spikkerelle
  • Wild Wild West – Young Belgian architecture
    September 1, 2011 AIT Architektur Salon, Hamburg, DE
  • Niche, Young Belgian architecture
    May 1, 2009 BOZAR, Brussels, BE