At the start of the new academic year – in late September – KU Leuven presented the 2021–2022 Maarten Bouwen Sustainable Architecture Prize. This annual prize is awarded to a Master’s student whose final design demonstrates academic pioneering work in the field of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly construction. The emphasis must also be on social engagement that ensures a building ‘reflects existing social relationships and cultural meanings’. This year, the prize went to Laura Dreesen, who graduated with the master’s thesis ‘Kompanen, to the round table! – A Socratic dialogue with neighbourhood food workshop De Kompaan regarding its spatial programming and architecture within the Borgerhout district’.

De Kompaan in Borgerhout (Antwerp) is essentially a community kitchen, a place that brings people together around the theme of food and food preparation. The initiative, which relies largely on the tireless efforts of volunteers, prepares community meals, distributes fresh soup, collects and redistributes food surpluses, organises cooking workshops, participates in harvest markets and facilitates communal gardening.