Building

The role of the Namahn space is up in the air. We know a few things but hope to be taken by surprise again and again.

While first and foremost a place for practicing Human-Centered Design, the Namahn space is open to influences, participation and experiments from outside. It makes a lot of business sense to use the property in this particular way; it brings new perspectives and acquaintances to those who work there. By fostering the exchange of ideas, we hope to inspire our own design practice and become complete professionals, open to new disciplines and problem-solving approaches.

The building is also too large to keep to ourselves.

The Namahn spaces are featured in the 2010 edition of the Flanders Architectural Yearbook, among 37 other projects such as the Bronks youth theatre in Brussels, the Belgian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the Crematorium Heimolen in Sint-Niklaas, and the Ghent production studios of Les Ballets C de la B and LOD. Read more about the Namahn project on the Flemish Architecture Institute site (partly in Dutch). In September 2009, the Namahn space was featured in the series Aha Architectuur of the Flemish newspaper De Standaard. In this series, architecture critic Koen Van Synghel reviews remarkable buildings. "In the Namahn building, [architect] Cuyvers has succeeded in freeing the architecture from the strait-jacket of images and neurotic functionalism. The building shows architecture's ability for freedom, inspiration, and playfulness." Read the original Dutch article in a new browser window, or read it online at the De Standaard Online (in Dutch, subscribers only)