Master dissertation by Pauline Luyckx

This thesis, A Portrait of Modern Antwerp, investigates the overlooked architecture of mid-20th-century Antwerp through six case studies of urban row-apartments built during the 1950s and 1960s. While this era is often associated with monotonous, profit-driven developments and the tabula rasa policies of post-war reconstruction, the research reveals a nuanced and diverse architectural production hidden beneath this reputation.

The study situates these buildings within the socio-economic context of the time: housing shortages, suburbanization driven by the De Taeye and Brunfaut laws, and infrastructural transformations under the Marshall Plan and the Ten-Year Harbor Expansion Program. These forces shifted architectural production toward the city’s periphery, while speculative apartment construction reshaped inner-city boulevards.

What distinguishes this work is its methodology. By systematically analyzing building permits, construction files, and archival plans from sources such as the Felixarchief and the Vlaams Architectuurinstituut, the thesis reconstructs the design intentions, material choices, and spatial strategies behind these projects. This archival lens uncovers forgotten narratives—such as the role of lesser-known architects like Victor Maeremans, Léon Fux, and Marc Remaut—and exposes the interplay between technical innovation (prefabrication, exposed concrete) and aesthetic ambition (colorful façades, organic plans, integration of applied arts).

Each case study is represented through axonometric drawings and bas-reliefs, translating archival data into a visual language that highlights specific qualities: façade rhythm, materiality, transparency, and flexibility. These representations challenge the prevailing image of uniformity, revealing how certain projects contributed lasting value to Antwerp’s urban fabric.

Ultimately, the thesis argues that these buildings, often dismissed or poorly renovated, possess intrinsic architectural merit and adaptability. By mining bureaucratic and technical archives, this research reframes mid-century apartment blocks not as banal relics but as critical components of Antwerp’s modern identity—an urban history written in permits, plans, and overlooked details.