November 20, 2025
On Sunday, June 22, 2025, Architects in Motion and Master Interior organized a unique benefit event for a select number of invitees in the Schouwburg of Cultuurhuis De Warande in Turnhout, focusing on architectural archives and heritage. In collaboration with AR-TUR and Erfgoed Noorderkempen, partners, heritage enthusiasts, and involved designers were invited to financially support the reissue of the sold-out publication Architecture in the Golden Sixties – The Turnhout School.
We are proud to announce that the necessary funds have been raised.
Thanks to the generous contributions of those present, this important book will soon be published again in its 3rd edition — this time in both a Dutch and an English version. In this way, the architectural legacy of the Turnhout School literally and figuratively gets a new page in international architectural history.
Although the basic financing is now secured, additional support remains welcome. After all, the reissue is only the first step in a broader trajectory to sustainably preserve, unlock and further share the valuable archive material with a wider audience. Sponsoring contributes directly to the further digitization, public accessibility and the development of educational initiatives surrounding this unique chapter in Flemish modernist architecture.
A tribute to a unique generation
In the sixties, Turnhout, like many Flemish cities, experienced a period of economic, demographic and cultural growth. In that context, a remarkable architectural movement arose: the ‘Turnhout School’. Architects such as Paul Neefs, Atelier Vanhout & Schellekens and the office of Lou Jansen and Rudi Schiltz left their mark on the city with well-kept, late-modernist homes and collective projects such as the Parkwijk, the Sint-Victor primary school and the De Warande cultural center itself. Despite their individual style, they regularly collaborated and were prominently featured in the architectural publications of their time.
A look at archives and legacy
The event started with the screening of the award-winning documentary The Proposal by American artist Jill Magid. The film takes an intriguing look at the closed archive of Mexican architect Luis Barragán, and raises fundamental questions about authorship, ownership and access to cultural heritage.
This was followed by an inspiring panel discussion led by Olav Grondelaers (VRT), which delved deeper into the need for sustainable archive management in the architectural sector.
The following speakers were present:
– Edith Wouters (AR-TUR, platform for architecture and space)
– Dennis Pohl (director, VAi – Flemish Architecture Institute)
– Jef Van Doninck (heritage consultant immovable heritage, Erfgoed Noorderkempen)
– Els De Vos (professor of architecture, University of Antwerp)
Together they brought valuable insights into how heritage care can contribute to the future of design, research and public access today.
Fundraising and meeting
The invitees also had the opportunity to discover the final design of the reissue and were able to show their support for future initiatives concerning the preservation of design and architecture archives through fundraising. The evening ended in style with a walking dinner provided by Signature Catering Nicolas.
In collaboration with
Master Interior
AR-TUR
Erfgoed Noorderkempen
Panel discussion
Olav Grondelaers (VRT)
Speakers
Edith Wouters
Dennis Pohl
Jef Van Doninck
Els De Vos
Catering
Signature Catering Nicolas
Documentary
The Proposal by Jill Magid
Location
De Warande, Turnhout
With thanks to
Flemish Architecture Institute
City of Turnhout
Province of Antwerp
Photography
Kelly Donckers
Reel Linkedin by Katreine Dierckx
Second Mood
