PETER VAN DRIESSCHE
Architect / Urban Planner
Studies and internships
1976 - 1982: Humanities: Mathematics / Sciences KAZ in Zelzate.
1982 - 1987: Architecture: Higher Architecture Institute City of Ghent.
1985 - 1988: Urbanism: Higher Architecture Institute, City of Ghent.
1987 - 1989: Architecture internship: Arch.firm Huyghebaert - Hagen, Ghent.
From 1989 - present: Founder and manager ATELIER4 Architecten bvba.
Vision on Architecture, Urbanism and Art
Already in my youth I was fascinated by the creation of buildings and the creation of space. Beach sand, cardboard, blocks of wood and all kinds of craft materials were then my medium for building things. The obligatory lego houses and imaginative lego structures succeeded each other a little later to be quickly converted into concrete plans to start the studies of architect.
Almost immediately during the study of architecture my interest was aroused to analyze the environment in which it was to be designed and built. The environmental analysis and the urban development context thus became one of the most important starting points for starting every new design during the study period and the subsequent architectural practice. Starting a second study - urban design - parallel to the architecture studies was therefore a logical continuation of my growing interests.
The travel microbe also took possession of me and made sure that I came to many places in the wide world and was confronted with different cultures (North America, USSR, China, Asia, Australia and Europe), their customs, their beliefs, their built environment and their visual and graphic arts. To that, I soon linked interests in global history and anthropology, and I read studies about disappeared civilizations and their causes.
The visual and conceptual art and the future of our planet - all as an extension of my architectural interests - took more and more possession of my 'being', so that in the last few years I have tried to combine these into visionary and utopian architectural, urban art proposals and installations.
Always driven by designing space and spatiality with an ecological visionary impact, I therefore try to formulate proposals that make people think about their current and future built environment. The power to deal with the imagination when developing the new city, our new and adapted living environment, is very important here. The word "Utopia" is no longer an idle term in architecture and urban planning today and in the near future, the negative connotation of failure has definitely disappeared.
I fully endorse Bouchain's views, after all, Bouchain ("Believe in the possible" - Caroline Dionne, OASE # 96) embraces the idea that "the knowledge and skill of the architect can create the conditions necessary to make possible, but unrealized social relationships. But this on the condition that a new concept of life is conceived and acknowledged. This new concept takes the form of a fictional story - a utopia in the positive sense of the word - as a means to critically assess the present by imagining a different future. "
I fully agree with this philosophy and try to contribute constructively to our future built "utopian-futuristic" environment with my proposals.
Furthermore, I am certainly of the same opinion as Lefebvre, who states that 'in order to be able to produce real forms of society or new ways of living, user-oriented, architectural approaches and urban development projects are needed, which, thanks to a great deal of citizen participation, individual capacities and bring together a dynamic based on sharing generosity and hospitality '.
It is therefore important to promote and bring about a transition in these current "liquid times" that can motivate every citizen of our planet to step into a viable and livable world for everyone. Zygmunt Bauman ("Liquid times" - Living in a century of uncertainty) formulates it as follows: "Man must be flexible in liquid modernity and adapt to the speed with which the existing flows."
Making test setups, models, test cases in small and large is an important part of the further study of future urban developments. Spatial-social ideas must be able to be mirrored to actual situations in one way or another. Exhibitions, manifestations, projects, biennials / triennials are therefore of vital importance for architectural-urban design research because a spontaneous and direct response can be noted from the large numbers of visitors.
Making test setups, models, test cases in small and large is an important part of the further study of future urban developments. Spatial-social ideas must be able to be mirrored to actual situations in one way or another. Exhibitions, manifestations, projects, biennials / triennials are therefore of vital importance for architectural-urban design research because a spontaneous and direct response can be noted from the large numbers of visitors.
In the meantime, I have been working steadily for a number of years on an oeuvre that is developing through two parallel lines. On the one hand the design and development of visionary future urban development proposals with a clear all-embracing ecological impact, on the other hand these proposals are elaborated in various successive spatial studies (wooden artworks and installations) that all bear the name "INFINITI" and are given a consecutive numbering.
INFINITI x
This series of designs, developments, art proposals all focus on space and spatiality with a great deal of attention for infinity and the exciting, yet uncertain and unknown future.
- INFINITI 13 - EVOLO 2015 - Skyscraper competition - participation with project 'Crossroads-Vertical Flemish Landscape'.
- INFINITI 13 - BIS 2016 - Projects with mobility and ecological solutions - participation with a modified project 'Crossroads-Vertical Flemish Landscape'.
- INFINITI 02 - 'Beaufort 2015' - Proposal and participation in the group exhibition with an Architectural Pavilion.
- INFINITI 22 - Proposal 'Labyrinth - Liquid City' - Triennial Bruges 2018.
- INFINITI 23 - Proposal 'Towers - Liquid City' - Triennial Bruges 2018.
- INFINITI 23 - Participation in the Bruges 2018 Triennial from 05/05 / 2018-16 / 09/2018
- INFINITI 28 - Participation with proposal for 'TAB - Tallin Architecture Biennale'.
- INFINITI 28 - Participation with proposal for 'LAGUNA - Venice'.
- INFINITI 33 - 'Transit Wall' - Installation for building a socio-economic and dynamic wall solution for the border issue between Mexico and the United States of America.
- INFINITI 33 - 'Transit Wall' - entry to the Venice Biennale 2018 - no selection.
- INFINITI 40 - 'Light-City-Lights' - proposal Pre-Triennial Bruges 2017.
Participation in the group exhibition in the 'Black Swan Gallery' in Bruges from 28/04 / 2018-03 / 06/2018
