As they shared virtually the same views on architecture, Jan Haerens joined the firm Ouest Architecture, which Stéphane Damsin had founded in 2009. Their field of activity is the dense urban fabric of Brussels, the city where they have also established themselves. There, they draw fully on the differences between them in terms of language and architecture, as well as their different professional backgrounds.

The firm’s first project, Les Ateliers Claus, responds to the contrast between the project’s programme (a concert hall) and its immediate surroundings (residential properties). Externally, the intervention is unobtrusive, as with two other projects by the practice: the Flemish Literature Fund in Antwerp and Project z (Zinneke) in Brussels. In these two projects, the interior is divided into distinct zones, and a connection is established with the existing elements. Co-working and reuse characterise Project z. For this, Ouest won the be.exemplary award from the Brussels-Capital Region in 2017.