Unfolding the Archives #6

How do contemporary designers look at building practices from the past? For this sixth edition of the exhibition series Unfolding the Archives, Rotor, UGent and the Flanders Architecture Institute take you into the world of designer Marcel Raymaekers (b. 1933).

The architecture of Marcel Raymaekers distinguishes itself from the familiar Belgian post-war architecture by consisting almost exclusively of salvaged materials. He developed an extensive oeuvre from the 1960s onwards with materials such as boulders from the Meuse valley or columns and porches from demolished churches. . This extensive reuse places him in an age-old building tradition, but it also makes him a maverick of his time, a pioneer in circular construction.

At the heart of his design practice was the Queen of the South (1972), a commercial yard specializing in ‘historical style objects’ combined with a café and restaurant. For more than fifty years, The Queen of the South in Genk was the material and creative breeding ground for Raymaekers’ architecture. It is where he received clients and where he stocked materials which were in turn sold on as DIY kits.