Lunch with an Architect is intended as a forum for reflection and discussion to improve the quality of architecture in Brussels.

Through 3 meetings a year, Lunch with an Architect, in cooperation with Flagey, provides the real estate world with a window on the major contemporary events in the world of architecture, the more specifically Belgian issues, and the emblematic projects under way.

Founded in 1996, Sergison Bates is one of the UK's leading architectural firms.
Today it employs around 30 professionals in offices in London, Zurich and Brussels, working on major urban projects across Europe.

Current developments include large-scale residential complexes in Antwerp, London, Munich and Versailles, the creation of a performing arts district in Leuven and, of course, the transformation of the former Citroen garage into the new KANAL-Centre Pompidou cultural centre in Brussels. The latter two projects will serve as catalysts for the regeneration of the surrounding areas.

Whereas the projects carried out today cover all categories, the firm has always attached great importance on housing, exploring diligently models to find relevant responses to the changing social demography of our time. Working on behalf of local authorities, housing associations and private developers, the firm has developed expertise in managing the many constraints inherent in this type of construction: space, budget, regulations, sustainable development requirements, etc.

Sergison Bates is also known for its expertise in the craft of construction. They like to experiment and propose buildings that express the character of different materials and their combination.

In terms of sustainability, they adopt a holistic approach: they believe that it is essential to view buildings as a series of layers, each with its own temporal dimension. If the structure is to last for centuries, the life of the installations, interiors and finishes is necessarily much shorter. Intelligent buildings must be able to be reconfigured and reorganized to respond to changing occupancy patterns and technological innovations.

Committed to a research-led approach and supported by the academic work of partners, the firm has won prestigious awards including the Erich Schelling Prize, the Heinrich Tessenow Gold Medal and several Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awards. Two of their projects have been nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2022. Their work has been widely exhibited in Europe and the US, most recently at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. A retrospective of their 25 years of practice, 'The Practice of Architecture', was recently exhibited at the Museum im Bellpark in Kriens, Switzerland.

Flagey, F()rum