An underwater cocoon: the realistic utopia of Belgian architects
Author: Isabelle Vander Heyde
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“Remarkable guest during the Venice Biennale: with Periscope House, the Belgian architecture firm Claerhout-Van Biervliet explores the possibilities of underground and underwater living. Their award-winning design comprises a protective cocoon that, through an ingenious construction of mirrors and movable gardens, still brings nature indoors. The line between science fiction and necessary future vision is razor-thin, especially in an ancient city that is slowly but surely sinking underwater.”
It is more often than not worthwhile to investigate what lies beneath the surface. At first glance, Claerhout-Van Biervliet appears to be a Flemish architecture firm that creates beautiful, organic structures throughout the country. However, the studio also contains a specialized design unit, the Metamorphic Art Studio, which focuses on the question of how we will live and build in the future. Wild theories and equally wild designs flow from there, dreams that are then tamed by the fact that everything is also technically feasible. The couple Xaveer Claerhout and Barbara Van Biervliet, the driving forces behind the studio, made their Metamorphic Architecture manifesto known to the world in 2008. Their creations have since won numerous international awards and form the foundation of a distinct architectural movement. The starting point? Buildings that adapt according to specific context—think time of day, weather conditions, social occasions, etc. The KineTower skyscraper literally appears to bloom open in the morning, only to retreat into its shell in the evening, while the KineKitchen spontaneously provides you with the necessary pots, pans, and relaxing ambient lighting when you enter it in the evening. Ceci n’est pas un film, despite all the runaway imagination. Will we soon be living in a dystopian robot scenario, or rather a paradisiacal entity? A conversation with this visionary duo.
