axel clissen - selected work 2016

S E L E C T E D W O R K A . C L I S S E N

S E L E C T E D W O R K A . C L I S S E N

AXEL CLISSEN

Project Manager at d’Apostrophe Design - New York, United States of America

Staff Architect at Sou Fujimoto Architects - Tokyo, Japan

Project Manager Venice Architecture Biennale at Flemish Architecture Institute - Venice, Italy

Architect at Robbrecht and Daem Architects - Ghent, Belgium

Architectural Assistant at Bernard Tschumi Architects - Paris, France

University of Leuven - Ghent, Belgium

University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, United States of America

University of Liechtenstein - Vaduz, Liechtenstein

PROFESSIONAL WORK

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013 - London, United Kingdom

Summer House with Artist Studio - Connecticut, United States of America

Belgian Pavilion Venice Architecture Biennale 2012 - Venice, Italy

Defining No-Mansland - Jerusalem, Israel

Market Hall - Ghent, Belgium

Paris Zoo - Paris, France

Berlin Art Fair - Berlin, Germany

ACADEMIC WORK

Dance Theater - Marseille, France

Cultivating a Culture of Congestion - Buchs, Switzerland

High Density Housing - Aalst, Belgium

EXTENDED RESUME

S E L E C T E D W O R K | A . C L I S S E N

S E R P E N T I N E G A L L E R Y P A V I L I O N 2 0 1 3S O U F U J I M O T O A R C H I T E C T S

Occupying some 350 square-metres of lawn in front of the Serpentine Gallery, the delicate, latticed structure of

20mm steel poles will have a lightweight and semi-transparent appearance that will allow it to blend, cloud-like,

into the landscape and against the classical backdrop of the Gallery’s colonnaded East wing. Designed as a flexible,

multi-purpose social space - with a café sited inside - visitors will be encouraged to enter and interact with the

Pavilion in different ways throughout its four-month tenure in London’s Kensington Gardens.

I joined the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion Team as a Staff Candidate in January 2013, collaborating on the final design and

its structural translation and materialisation. A challenging task, as the production period for this prestigious project was

extremely short.

© Sou Fujimoto Architects & Iwan Baan



S U M M E R H O U S E A N D A R T I S T S T U D I OS O U F U J I M O T O A R C H I T E C T S

With the silhouette of a mountain shape, the roof is a series of light and thin horizontal slabs overlapping each

other without touching. The house rises up and culminates 12m (40 feet) above ground. Playing with the sunlight,

creating unexpected patterns of shadows, the interior is a rich experience where the border between the sky and

the house, between the garden and the indoor space vanishes. Under this generous play of heights, the indoor

space contrasts by its simplicity and flexibility. Divided by sliding walls, the interior space allows a complete

openness as well as privacy. The roof becomes the house itself, as a whole, acting as shelter, as walls, terraces

and furniture.

I started this commissioned project from scratch, independently developing the design from concept to its final stage.

Under the guidance of Sou Fujimoto, I quickly picked up the Japanese way of designing and conceiving a project.

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

B E L G I A N P A V I L I O N V E N I C E A R C H I T E C T U R E B I E N N A L E 2 0 1 2F L E M I S H A R C H I T E C T U R E I N S T I T U T E

The exhibition in the Belgian pavilion presents Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, as a laboratory for urban

and regional planning in a densely populated area in Western Europe. To provide a sustainable answer to the

current challenges, the project ‘The Ambition of the Territory’ wishes to investigate an alternative spatial model.

Flanders is presented as a complex of complementary metropolitan regions. A metropolis is an urban area in

which seemingly conflicting spatial claims can be reconciled in an integrated “metabolism”. Greater urbanisation

does not necessarily mean less landscape, and spatial planning that stimulates economic growth does not have to

come at the expense of quality of life. The metropolis encourages innovative spatial concepts such as productive

landscapes, hybrid living/working environments and multimodal transportation. The proposed spatial scenario for

Flanders will be tested in detail by means of a design study in a series of ateliers.

Project representing Belgium at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia

In June 2011, I was asked as a project leader for the Flemish Architecture institute, responsible for the Belgian entry at

the 13th International Architecture Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia in 2012. My job was to produce the exhibition at

the Belgian pavilion in Venice and direct the overall Belgian presence. It was an incredible experience, being part of this

momentum in international architectural culture.

© AWJGGRAUaDVVT



D E F I N I N G N O - M A N S L A N DG O D E C H A R L E P R I Z E

The Godecharle Foundation, almost a 150 years old, was founded by Napoleon Godecharle. It’s purpose is to

encourage up-and-coming architects. Every two years, the foundation organizes the Godecharle Prize. It’s reputation

is reflected by it’s impressive list of laureates, who throughout their career gained international recognition. To

only name a few: Victor Horta, Renaat Braem, Paul Robbrecht, Christian Kieckens and Peter Swinnen. In the first

phase of the competition, a selection is made based upon previous work. In the second phase, architects stay four

days in seclusion to complete a competition project, before presenting it to an international jury.

The theme of the Godecharle Prize 2011 was entitled ‘Negotiating with the devil’. The response started by

recognizing Jerusalem as an archetypical conflict environment in the Middle-East. By doubling the existing wall

between Israel and Palestine, the no-mansland, identified by author Meron Benvenisti’s essay ‘How wide is a

line?’ and artist Francis Alÿs performance ‘The Green line’, is defined. Throughout several decades, the wall will

expand according to the needs of a new generation, while simultaneously acting as a filter, separating conflict and

compromise. Time is used to create a culture of compromise.

Competition 1st Prize.

Project exhibited at the Brussels Academy of Royal Arts.

Encouraged by my mentor and former laureate, Paul Robbrecht, I participated in the Godecharle competition that ran from

March until May 2011. The four days I spent in seclusion, were particularly challenging as we didn’t have any contact with

the outside world and therefore were designing without any feedback. Although very intense, I had an amazing time and

learned a great deal.

M A R K E T H A L LR O B B R E C H T A N D D A E M A R C H I T E C T S

The Market Hall positions itself between Poeljemarkt, Goudenleeuwplein, and a new lower ‘green’ connecting to

the ‘brasserie’, bicycle park and public toilets below the hall. Although the building clearly occupies a position on

the 24,000m2 site, it fits in well. Compared to St. Nicholas Church, Belfry and Cathedral, it assumes the heights

of a lower group of buildings such as the adjacent town hall, from which it derives, mathematically, its profile.

As an urban interior, the inside embraces the passer-by with a dual modulated wooden ceiling, whose small

windows scatter light inwards. The exterior, the entire building in fact, seems to assume a respectful role relative

to the nobler historic stone buildings, by using a wooden, almost humble, finish. A glass envelope protects the

wood and provides a soft shine, with the sky reflected, integrated.

Project selected as a finalist for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe

Award 2013 and presented in the Arsenale at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia.

Under supervision of my mentor, International RIBA Fellow Paul Robbrecht, I joined the project team from september 2009

to november 2011. Being constantly challenged by this large scale public project, I collaborated on the design, the tender

documents, the construction plans and the follow-up on site of the project.

© Robbrecht and Daem Architects / Marie-José Van Hee Architects



D A N C E T H E A T E RU N I V E R S I T Y O F L E U V E N - L U C A S C H O O L O F A R T S

In the light of ‘Marseille: Cultural Capital of Europe, 2013’, a need was formulated for a new cultural impulse by the

Catalans bay in the north of Marseille. By consciously choosing not to built inside its bay, value is given back to the

entire area. There will be a physical and mental approach towards the theater where a tangible change of rhythm

will be felt by the visitor. Using the elements of nature, which are overwhelmingly present, possibilities rise for a

different kind of dance. As such, three separate spaces focus on three different elements: water, earth and air. The

building is placed right outside the bay, on the border of Marseille and the Mediterranean Sea. That way, a visual

link connects the city centre and the vertical volume, which is nested in between the old city walls and the ‘Palais

du Pharo’. Material-use refers to the massive old harbor, through a structure and facade in raw concrete, and to

the dynamics of passing ships, through a curtain facade and a fine bridge in Corten steel.

Project selected for the University of Leuven - LUCA School of Arts exhibition 2009.

I started working on my master thesis in february 2009 and ended in june 2009. Through hard work and a never-ending

search, I felt to have formulated a elaborate response to the proposed brief.

P A R I S Z O OB E R N A R D T S C H U M I A R C H I T E C T S

The design for the Zoo de Vincennes in Paris aims to re-create animals’ natural ecosystems as closely as possible.

Partly run on solar power, the complex encompasses six “biozones,” attempting to replicate the Savannah,

equatorial African rainforests, Patagonia, French Guiana, Madagascar, and Europe. A glass-domed greenhouse will

replicate an Amazonian rain forest. White rhinos and West African lions will roam on a Savannah covered with dry

shrub. Another zone will re-create the rocky terrain of Patagonia, with Humboldt penguins.

Throughout the design, the priority is the animals’ health and happiness. An emphasis will be put on education and

research, and a longer-term goal is to reintroduce some endangered species into the wild.

During a three month stay (from january until march 2009) in Paris, I worked for multiple award winning architect Bernard

Tschumi. While experiencing work and life in an international surrounding, I focussed on the circulation, building and land-

scape design of the renovation of the zoo.

© Bernard Tschumi Architects



C U L T I V A T I N G A C U L T U R E O F C O N G E S T I O NU N I V E R S I T Y O F L I E C H T E N S T E I N

The brief asked to generate a critical alternative to the modes of living today offered in the valley of Liechtenstein.

The typical local house provides a notion of land ownership, flexibility to build almost anywhere on the plot of

land, a 360° view towards the property and privacy. A new proposal cannot offer anything less, and in order to

change the existing trend of individual housing, it should even offer better conditions than the local market. By

placing a vertical volume on top of the crossing of the highway, the railroads and smaller roads, it feeds from the

maximum amount of international and local infrastructure possible, without jeopardizing the existing settlement.

As such, the project is articulated as a transfer-um, where living quantities are linked to the benefits of a culture

of congestion.

To meet the needs of international inhabitants, the program consists of a series of stations and public facilities

including a hotel, spa, conference centers and offices. Local inhabitants are placed above the fog and have more

solar exposure than any inhabitant in the valley. They enjoy 360° views as far as the eye can see, have a maximum

amount of privacy (as neighboring positions conditions are minimal) and have a high degree of flexibility still

permitted by the nature of the primary structure. In this way, the valley can be kept free of urban dispersion, as a

reserve for future generations.

My first exchange semester abroad, from september 2007 until january 2008, gave me a chance to study a Master in

Architecture at the University of Liechtenstein. The inspiring discussions I had there, with professors Xavier Calderon

and Elia Zenghelis, where of great value for the development of my project. A theoretical view combined with a very

contemporary and context-related approach, resulted in a proposal that referred to the cultural and economical problems

of our time.

B E R L I N A R T F A I RW I M G O E S A R C H I T E C T U U R

The project consisted of the design and execution of a booth at the Berlin Art Forum ‘About Beauty’, the international

Fair of Contemporary Art, for Sies + Höke galerie from Düsseldorf, Germany. Entitled ‘Burnt House’, the project

represents a traditional booth that has been transformed to the remainders of a small house, after a devastating fire.

The interior of the booth consists only of black-burned OSB wood panels, on which the pieces of art are displayed.

During this summer job in 2007, at my former mentor Wim Goes’ office, I had a chance to work on the construction plans

with 1:1 detailing and research materials needed for the project. The hands-on-approach of the office made it a valuable

experience.

© Wim Goes Architectuur



H I G H D E N S I T Y H O U S I N GU N I V E R S I T Y O F L E U V E N - L U C A S C H O O L O F A R T S

Starting from an existing Masterplan, by Christian Kieckens Architects, a response was demanded for the growing

high density housing issues in Aalst, Belgium. The site was perceived as an urban square in between the city and

the water. By carefully placing entities, based upon reason and empathy, a cluster towards the water is created

which divides one square into three smaller ones. Duality between individuality and high density lies at the center

of this housing project and therefore on the border of the city. Entities which represent single and multiple family

housing find recognition in archetype shapes. Their placement and form in itself are simple, but combined they

offer a subtle complexity. Inspired by contemporary artist Michaël Borremans’ ‘The house of opportunity’, scale

is only giving to each volume, by people passing by. The result is a continuous change from focus to surprise,

a diversity of light and sight, an ever changing play of shadows and a wide variety of housing units. Circulation

unfolds itself three-ways with emphasis on the use of stairs. The construction articulates the simplicity of the

archetype shape.

Project selected for the University of Leuven - LUCA School of Arts exhibition 2007.

Having worked on it from february 2007 until june 2007, I consider my bachelor thesis as one of my most valuable projects

so far. I believe it to be a project where all levels of the design process come together and complete one another.

E X T E N D E D R E S U M E A . C L I S S E N

AXEL CLISSEN

Dynamic, multilingual intermediate with a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Leuven (Belgium)

and six years of experience as an architect and project manager working on high end projects in international

environments. Strong creative, social and initiative-taking skills. Looking for opportunities in the field of

architecture and real estate. Holder of a valid US visa.

CONTACT

171 Avenue of the Americas, Apt. 3B

New York, NY 10013

001 646 258 74 91

[email protected]

www.axelclissen.com

WORK EXPERIENCE

03.2014-present | Project Manager at d’Apostrophe Design - New York, United States of America

01.2013-10.2013 | Staff Architect at Sou Fujimoto Architects - Tokyo, Japan

Completed Projects: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013 - London, United Kingdom

Summer House and Artist Studio - Greenwich, United States of America

Outlook Tower - Doha, Qatar

07.2011-11.2012 | Project Manager Venice Architecture Biennale at Flemish Architecture Institute - Venice, Italy

Project leader responsible for the Belgian entry at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition – la Biennale di

Venezia. Belgian pavilion exhibition ‘The Ambition of the Territory’ by AWJGGRAUaDVVTAT.

03.2010-09.2012 | Guest Professor at Howest School of Applied Architecture - Bruges, Belgium

Teaching Design Studio in the first year of Applied Architecture.

09.2009-11.2011 | Architect at Robbrecht and Daem Architects - Ghent, Belgium

Completed projects: Market Hall - Ghent, Belgium (finalist Mies van der Rohe Award 2013)

Masterplan ‘Nieuw Zuid’ - Antwerp, Belgium

Pavilion ‘Het Huis’ for Middelheim Museum - Antwerp, Belgium

City Archives - Ghent, Belgium

01.2009-03.2009 | Architectural Assistant at Bernard Tschumi Architects - Paris, France

Completed projects: Paris Zoo - Paris, France

Pedestrian Bridge - La Roche sur Yon, France

02.2008-09.2011 | Founder PechaKucha Ghent - Ghent, Belgium

Completed projects: PechaKucha Ghent Vol. 1-10

Summer 2007-2008 | Architectural Assistant at Wim Goes Architectuur - Ghent, Belgium

Completed projects: Royal Belgian Sailing Club Alberta - Zeebrugge, Belgium

Museum square between S.M.A.K. and MSK - Ghent, Belgium

Burnt House Berlin Art Fair - Berlin, Germany


EDUCATION

2014 | Creativity Class at Flanders DC + Vlerick Business School - Ghent, Belgium

2011 | Project Management at the University of Leuven - LUCA School of Arts - Brussels, Belgium

2010 | Management Architecture Office at the University of Leuven - LUCA School of Arts - Brussels, Belgium

2007-2009 | Master in Architecture at the University of Leuven - LUCA School of Arts - Ghent, Belgium

Master Thesis Cum Laude, graduated Cum Laude.

2008-2009 | Master in Community Planning and Urban Design at the University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati,

United States of America (exchange)

Final Project Magna Cum Laude.

2007-2008 | Master in Architecture at the University of Liechtenstein - Vaduz, Liechtenstein (exchange)

Final Project Cum Laude.

2005-2007 | Bachelor in Architecture at the University of Leuven - LUCA School of Arts - Ghent, Belgium

Bachelor Thesis Magna Cum Laude.

2001-2005 | Bachelor in Applied Architecture at the Howest School of Applied Architecture - Bruges, Belgium

Bachelor Thesis Magna Cum Laude, graduated Cum Laude.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Named Young High Potential by Vlerick Business School and Flanders DC - Belgium

Laureate of Godecharle Prize for Architecture - Brussels, Belgium

Speaker at PechaKucha Ghent Vol.11 - Ghent, Belgium

Exhibition at Academy of Royal Arts Brussels - Brussels, Belgium

Exhibition at University of Leuven - LUCA School of Arts- Ghent, Belgium

Exhibition at Howest School of Applied Architecture - Bruges, Belgium

Publication in A+ Architectural Review - Belgium

LANGUAGES

Dutch. Native language.

English. Fluent speaking, writing and understanding.

French. Speaking, writing and understanding.

German. Basic understanding.

DIGITAL SKILLS

Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

Autodesk Autocad and Vectorworks design software.

Autodesk 3D Studio Max with V-ray, Sketchup and Adobe Creative Suite software.

Microsoft Office administration software.


axel clissen - selected work 2016

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