Name: Max Bernaerts
Track: Architecture
Studio: Explore Lab
Year: 2025 / MSc3/4
Type: Graduation Project
Tutor: Eireen Schreurs, Georgios Karvelas, Mieke Vink
Description:
Academic architectural education trains students to operate within an abstract reality of drawings, models, and calculations. While this abstraction helps dissect complex problems, it risks breaking the direct connection between (future) architects and the materials they work with. Limited opportunities for hands-on, full-scale engagement can alienate students from the tactile, contextual, and embodied knowledge of materiality. This project proposes an extension to the architecture faculty’s basement, a literal and metaphorical undermining of the institution. Here, students can experiment freely, reconnect with materials at scale, and expand their practical knowledge and skills through making.