Where have the writing architects gone? Who is driving the architectural discourse? Do architects still have the opportunity to publish texts that transcend their own body of work and thus contribute to the ongoing debate about what architecture actually is? Or is architectural theory now solely fuelled by academics, buckling under the pressure to publish, who have often never actually built anything? And is that really a problem? Hilde Heynen poses this question in an introductory text on the theme of dis-cours, or the question of architectural discourse flowing from the pens of practising architects. Five architects – Paul Vermeulen, ROTOR as a collective, Pierre Hebbelinck, Kersten Geers and Dirk Somers – offer their answers. The theme concludes with the reissue of a fiery manifesto against ‘the destruction of the traditional European city’ by Maurice Culot and Léon Krier from 1978. The text, taken from the exhibition currently running at CIVA, reminds us of the radical urban changes in post-war Brussels, during which the architectural discourse was revived and managed to save valuable heritage from the widespread demolition of the time.

‘Dis-cours’ is the theme with which Pieter T’Jonck concludes his tenure as editor-in-chief. Over the course of twelve issues, he demonstrated time and again, with passion and drive, that architecture is a social phenomenon. He gave A+ its current structure and critical tone and, through socially engaged and in-depth articles on architecture and urban planning, proved once more that an architecture magazine is more than a compilation of photogenic projects. He established the link with contemporary art and invited a photographer for each issue to create a photo essay that conceptually tied in with the issue’s theme. On behalf of the entire team, I would like to thank him here for the inspiration he has brought to the editorial team.