[DIS]HONESTY OF STRUCTURE

[DIS]HONESTY OF STRUCTURE For me the most compelling aspect of the portfolio of Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu is their use and manipulation of structure (construction) as an, often witty and surprising, means of decoration and composition. [As opposed to applying a pretty skin over an ugly structure]. Most of the time this finds itself in the honest expression and accentuation of necessary elements such as columns, lintels, stud walls, even drainpipes. Perusing through my favourite architecture books I realised one scheme especially stood out from this generalisation: their scheme for IGLO, which is part of the reevaluation of the 'Europark' in Antwerp. There is a discordance between the expression of the 'structural' frame in the facade and what must be the actual structural grid behind. This simple playful concept; "the crafty elimination of a problem, gradually becomes the basis for an idea," and matures into a piece of welcoming, multi-layered architecture.