Lecture by Dr Ann Verdonck on the occasion of the exhibition, “De Visionaire Stad” (The Visionary City), in the Arentshuis as part of the 2015 Triennial.

Architect and urban developer Huib Hoste (1881-1957) is considered to be one of the most outstanding actors of the Belgian avant-garde movement. He grew up in Bruges in a traditional, French-speaking, strongly Catholic environment. He completed more than 33 projects there before the First World War, including many restauration jobs. These are still completely in the neo-Gothic tradition of his teacher, city architect Charles De Wulf. During his exile in the Netherlands during the First World War, he came into contact with many actors of the modernism movement.

He became a major proponent of an innovative architecture and urban development, acquiring international fame. In 1928, he became a member of the Congrès Internationaux d’ Architecture Moderne (CIAM, International Congresses of Modern Architecture), an initiative by Le Corbusier. So it’s no surprise that he took part in a contest in 1937 to design the new station and surroundings on the edge of Bruges. This was the perfect opportunity for Hoste to link the CIAM body of thought to the expansion of the distinctively historical city.