Simone und Lucien Kroll

The Building Documentation seminar is dedicated to the documentation and analysis of the buildings of Simone Kroll (born 1928) and Lucien Kroll (1927–2002). Both championed, taught, and realized an architectural ethos that was human-centered, unconventional, and free of self-importance.

In 1957, Simone and Lucien founded the “Atelier d’Urbanisme, d’Architecture et d’Informatique” in Brussels. From that point on, the two Belgian architects occupied a unique position within twentieth-century architecture with their participatory and unconventional approach. Rather than adhering to rigid design principles, they emphasized dialogue, diversity, and the active involvement of users. Their best-known project, the student residence “La Mémé” in Brussels, was developed in close collaboration with students in the late 1960s and stands as a paradigmatic example of their architectural position. The result was an apparently wild patchwork of forms that was nevertheless joyful and highly functional—an ensemble far ahead of its time in terms of co-creation, use, and adaptability.

The Krolls deliberately opposed the modernist “star system” and questioned dominant formal conventions such as the right angle, without excluding technological developments. Their later works as well, including projects in Hellersdorf and Marne-la-Vallée, remained committed to this participatory ethos.
The aim of the seminar is to make the work of these two little-known yet influential Belgian architects more visible—a body of work distinguished not only by its social and participatory character, but also by its exceptional material and tectonic qualities, and remarkable in its geographical, historical, and cultural context. Documenting their buildings is therefore valuable from the perspective of architectural history, but also highly relevant today, as many of these buildings are now in need of renovation or are even threatened with demolition.
The work of the Krolls represents a different kind of modernism—one shaped not by formal rigor, but by social responsibility, ecological sensitivity, and human closeness.

Their works deserve to be researched, documented, and preserved, as they constitute a significant chapter in the history of Belgian architecture.

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Spring semester 2025

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Winter semester 2024 - 2025