From the outset, the ‘Inventaires Architectures Wallonie-Bruxelles’ collection has established itself as an important moment of self-reflection for architectural culture in French-speaking Belgium. This evolving culture justifies – if justification were needed – the experimental dimension of each edition, which is entrusted to a specific team of curators.

With each issue, Inventaires reinvents itself, searching for the right tone and its audience. Whereas the previous two editions introduced architectural issues to a wider audience, Inventaires #4 focuses explicitly on new approaches to architecture, policy issues and cultural policy in the field of architecture. This is a logical choice, as it is also the first Inventaires to be published under the auspices of the Institut Culturel d’Architecture Wallonie-Bruxelles, founded in 2019. The subtitle Vers une démarche architecturale générative (Towards a generative approach to architecture) makes it immediately clear that this is not a catalogue. Inventaires #4 does not strive for – so to speak – objective completeness, but aims to collect ‘relevant answers to current social and environmental issues’, as well as proposals that ‘guarantee a pleasant living environment in today’s society characterised by risks and limitations’. The ambition is clear: in a world in crisis, we must actively seek out those who are searching and exploring. It should therefore come as no surprise that this collection contains architectural work that is as high-quality as it is diverse, covering both buildings and processes, but always focused on the collective dimension of architecture.