Knokke-Heist Metamorphic Art Studio shines with periscope project at the Venice Architecture Biennale
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“During the prestigious exhibition of the European Cultural Centre (ECC) in Palazzo Mora, coinciding with the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Knokke-Heist-based Metamorphic Art Studio is exhibiting the groundbreaking Periscope project: a visionary yet realizable architectural concept that uniquely combines sustainability and technical innovation. The Periscope project, which has already won several international awards, is not just a utopian dream. Through a working model — a technically refined and detailed representation of the final building — it becomes clear that the design is not only future-oriented but also effectively feasible within the current technical and social context. This metamorphosing scale model forms the beating heart of the Belgian entry in Palazzo Mora and strikingly illustrates the translation from idea to practice.”
Periscope architecture: experience breathtaking landscapes beneath the surface, as if you were at ground level
What distinguishes Periscope within contemporary architecture is its radically innovative and, above all, sustainable character. The design starts from a metamorphosis of the building typology itself: a static underground building surrounded by dynamic, ascending and descending mirrors. Solar panels provide the telescopic pillars with the necessary energy to raise the mirror structure above the ground in the morning. Light and sight are thus projected deep into the building. By choosing the position of the lower mirrors, it is determined at which floor level the view over the landscape is brought in.
The gravitational energy released as the mirrors descend is converted back into reusable energy via generators. In this way, a circular and almost poetic interplay arises between light and gravity, between energy consumption and generation. Each morning, the building comes to life and rises above grade, only to settle back in the evening, as if gently shrinking underground once more.
An acclaimed architectural project by and for Belgian partners
The realization of the exhibited model was only possible thanks to close collaboration with several strategic partners who are also effectively part of the team when it comes to the realization of this project or a derivative thereof. In addition to the concept itself, conceived by Metamorphic Art Studio, the architecture was created by architect couple Xaveer Claerhout and Barbara Van Biervliet from Knokke-Heist. The visual manifest film was produced and directed by the Studio of Adriaan Claerhout. The glass and mirror technology applied in the project was developed and will be executed by the Belgian Limburg-based Group Ceyssens. For the renewable energy and storage of the project, the equally Limburg-based company Energreen is called upon. The dynamic scale model was also made by Formando in Limburg. The telescopic lifting technology is designed and supplied by the German company Duesterhus from Paderborn. For the conceptual design and supply of all low carbon emission steel, the global player ArcelorMittal is called upon in collaboration with their sister company Steligence®.
Architect Xaveer Claerhout calls the Periscope House a viewing machine for light and space: “Underground, where silence reigns, Periscope plays with light and sight. Through mirrors that slowly rise and fall, daylight is carefully guided inside. The mirrors, moving like periscopes, capture what happens above and direct it into the space. Their rhythmic motion shifts the perspective each time: the light changes direction, the view gains new layers. What unfolds above is gently reflected into the subterranean space. It is as if the building looks up for a moment, then dives away again. A rhythm of seeing and disappearing.” “We wanted a space that doesn’t show what you see, but how you look,” adds Barbara Van Biervliet, co-designer and Xaveer’s partner. “Light becomes a material, view becomes a movement.”
Dirk Ceyssens, CEO of Group Ceyssens, which provides the glass and mirror technology for Periscope House, speaks passionately about their contribution to the project. “Periscope Architecture is, to me, much more than a construction technique. It is a refined architectural language that brings spaces to life through light, reflection, and sensory experience. What fascinates me here is the power to make people look at their surroundings in a completely different way.
“By working with mirrors, glass, and smart orientations, we can literally change the perspective. At Group Ceyssens, we also truly shape that vision. We combine innovation with craftsmanship, and that makes it possible to realize ideas that may seem impossible at first glance. It is incredibly motivating to see how we create such unique projects with our team. Projects that are not only functional but also evoke wonder. That passion for innovation is what it’s all about for me.”
