The 20th Biennale Architettura 2027 in Venice, curated by Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu of Amateur Architecture Studio (Hangzhou, China), has adopted the theme “Do Architecture – For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality”. This theme invites us not to view architecture solely as an idea or a theory, but above all as a means of intervening concretely in reality. It takes its cue from what is happening on the ground: real places, real problems and real buildings. Architecture thus emerges from practice and a direct engagement with the local context1. 1 Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, Do Architecture — For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality, La Biennale di Venezia, 19 May 2026
Building on this line of thinking, the architecture practice MULTIPLE, comprising Gérald Ledent (PhD in civil engineering and architecture) and Maïa Descamps (video artist and director), are addressing an urgent societal challenge: the massive vacancy of office space in the face of a growing shortage of affordable housing. With the project “Domesticating the Office”, they place this paradox at the heart of their thinking and explore how unoccupied offices can be repurposed as living spaces and what new forms of housing might result.
At the heart of this exploration lies a tension: on the one hand, the office – a standardised, codified space designed for productivity – and on the other, the domestic sphere – an intimate, lived-in space linked to care and everyday life. It is precisely in this contrast that the potential lies for new forms of cohabitation and for the repurposing of existing buildings.
The pavilion’s exhibition design will highlight a concrete example of office conversion, bring together existing research and completed projects on this theme, and present a trilogy of films. Architecture is presented here as a political lever for social change. This ambition takes shape in the “Venice Pact”, a collective manifesto in favour of the right to housing in Europe, which forms part of Belgium’s tradition of engagement with international issues at the heart of Europe.
Find articles related to the theme “Domesticating the Office” in the A+ archives: issue A+295, “Reimagining the Office”, is dedicated to the question of repurposing the office typology, issue A+316 “Ultra-Flexibility” explores the limits and challenges of spatial flexibility, whilst issue A+315 “Private Commissioning” examines how the culture of private building manifests itself today, the mechanisms underpinning it, and, above all, how it can contribute to improving spatial quality.
