Showcase: MVA masterplan

We are delighted to showcase the MVA Masterplan at the PHC Gallery of the Ryerson University in Toronto. The project, done in collaboration with frontofficetokyo, focuses on the theme of resilient architecture. The term for us does not refer to resistance to change, but on the contrary, to architecture that copes and adapts to transitions and disturbances.

In the MVA Masterplan, this is among other things reflected in the great attention that is given to the parking spaces, which fulfil the current urban regulations of 1.5 spots per household but are arranged to be easily modified if car ownership decreases. This gives residents the freedom to grow and/or shrink their houses according to their changing needs and wishes: a new member in the family, a car bought or sold, or a simple desire for more space are possible. It is an attempt to rethink urban form or consider new genres of architecture in order to responds to the problems of congestion and parking, as well as the diversity that come along with growing urban density.

By working together with an office from Tokyo, a city where resilient architecture is intrinsic to its urbanism, design strategies of another culture are tested in a new context. How are they manifested in a Flemish town and what alternations are demanded in order for it to work? In turn, it helps us to understand, but also to reconsider our own building culture and traditions