Portraits

  • PORTRAIT : Francine Houben

    PORTRAIT : Francine Houben

    Francine Houben was in Brussels at the end of 2023 to give a talk at a lunch with an Architect session in Flagey. Mister Emma was backstage to chat with the Mecanoo boss. People, Place, Purpose, Poetry and Mobility are the keywords of the Dutch office’s work. – – – – – – – – – – –…

  • The renewal of raw earth architecture

    The renewal of raw earth architecture

    Over the course of a week, Mister Emma followed Belgian architect Jean Dethier in the footsteps of this type of construction, which is now enjoying a new lease of life. These study days were organized as part of a study trip by ETH Zürich, and more specifically by the university chair of Professor and world-renowned…

  • PORTRAIT : Eduardo Souto de Moura

    PORTRAIT : Eduardo Souto de Moura

    The winner of the Pritzker Prize in 2011 studied sculpture before turning to architecture at the University of Porto’s School of Fine Arts. He embodies the « Porto School », formed by the emblematic figures of Fernando Távora and Álvaro Siza, which combines rigour and freedom, two approaches to construction that are difficult to reconcile, yet which…

  • OPEN DOOR: Inside Troye Sivan’s Victorian-Era Melbourne Home

    OPEN DOOR: Inside Troye Sivan’s Victorian-Era Melbourne Home

    Unpretentious yet expertly decorated, Troye Sivan collaborated with designer David Flack of local firm Flack Studio to bring the vision of his sunny, soulful home to life. An erstwhile brick factory and handball court, the property was transformed into a residence in 1970 by architect John Mockridge, preserving the essence of its Victorian-era origins. Today,…

  • OPEN DOOR: Inside RuPaul’s Fabulous Beverly Hills Mansion

    OPEN DOOR: Inside RuPaul’s Fabulous Beverly Hills Mansion

    When RuPaul, the ‘Drag Race’ star, and husband Georges LeBar acquired their home they enlisted esteemed AD100 designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard and architect Christopher Hatch McLean to help bring their 1980s palazzo to life. Together they transformed the property into an enchanting homage to Old Hollywood injecting the glamor of 1930s regency throughout. Production: Architectural…

  • OPEN DOOR: Inside Lenny Kravitz’s Brazilian Farm Compound

    OPEN DOOR: Inside Lenny Kravitz’s Brazilian Farm Compound

    Lenny Kravitz takes us on a tour of his incredible Brazilian farm compound. Built on an 18th-century coffee plantation, his home is set on a working farm that feeds every guest that comes through. Featuring a Brazilian barbecue, a full-sized football field and 19th-century Portuguese colonial-style farmhouses and outbuildings, it’s a wonder Lenny ever wants…

  • Portrait of MATTHIEU ROMANCANT

    Portrait of MATTHIEU ROMANCANT

    Matthieu Romancant is a French architect and urban planner who lives in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) since 2007. He acquired an old stone house surrounded by nature and with an exceptional view, in which he wanted to rediscover certain ties thanks to objects found at flea markets. He tells us about a hotel he has…

  • Portrait of DORTE MANDRUP

    Portrait of DORTE MANDRUP

    Dorte Mandrup is a Danish architect who founded her studio Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter in 1999. She imagines architecture in the context of its environment. Out of conviction and ethics, Dorte Mandrup refuses to work in autocratic countries. She has gained worldwide renown for the projects she builds on particularly fragile sites. In 2022, her studio…

  • BRUSSELS ARCHITECTURE PRIZE 2021

    BRUSSELS ARCHITECTURE PRIZE 2021

    The Brussels Architecture Prize is an initiative of the Brussels-Capital Region supported by urban.brussels in co-production with A+ Architecture in Belgium. The prize honours Brussels as a metropolis with great spatial qualities, as a place for renowned architects and newcomers, as a laboratory where innovative contemporary architecture and urban planning projects are actively supported, and…

  • ANNIE AND THE GIRLS

    ANNIE AND THE GIRLS

    This 26-minute short film tells the story of the renaming of the Leopold II tunnel to Annie Cordy and talks about the artistic work of Charlotte Beaudry who imagined a piece of work to animate the 5 km of tunnel, a piece of work that honours the women of Brussels today and tomorrow. Women take…