This December, Expanding Agency, an international research project on the role of minorities in architecture, arrives in Leuven. With Expanding Agency: Women at Work in Modern Architecture, Stad & Architectuur (S&A), Platform for Architecture & Feminism (PAF), and KU Leuven bring part of this work to Belgium. The research aims to feed the debate on inclusion in architectural practice. How did women succeed in leaving their mark on architecture and urbanism during the modernist era? Which creative roles and positions did they adopt to make an impact within a male-dominated field? And what does this reveal about architecture as a discipline that may extend far beyond the boundaries of building practice itself?
The programme takes as its starting point the Expanding Agency poster exhibition, initiated by architectural historian Kathleen James Chakraborty of University College Dublin and her international research team. The Belgian section focuses on seven historical case studies of women who shaped the built environment through a wide variety of roles. By highlighting their stories and practices, the programme broadens the conventional understanding of architecture as the work of individual, typically male, designers and draws attention to the many forms of engagement, labour, and expertise through which women have influenced the character of our cities and buildings.
From 29 November to 3 January, the poster exhibition Expanding Agency – Reframed will be on display at the University Library Leuven. On the one hand, the exhibition sheds light on underrepresented figures and roles within modern architecture; on the other, it invites further debate. How did patriarchal and colonial structures shape access to the architectural profession? How have these structures influenced the ways in which women and people of color have practiced, and continue to practise, architecture? And which forms of knowledge, collaboration, and expertise remain overlooked today? By literally and figuratively reframing the posters, Stad & Architectuur, PAF, and KU Leuven situate them within contemporary debates on gender, decolonisation, intersectionality, and knowledge production.
A lecture series and conversation evening will further explore these themes, transforming Expanding Agency into a platform for dialogue about which voices from the past we choose to carry forward in the pursuit of a more inclusive architectural culture today.
The programme is organised in partnership with S&A and KU Leuven Libraries, Department of Architecture, and is supported by the European Research Council (ERC).
Programme - Expanding Agency: Women at Work in Modern Architecture
Poster Exhibition Expanding Agency – Reframed (ENG/NL)
The poster exhibition can be visited throughout the opening hours of the University Library Leuven.
Admission: €5, free entry for KU Leuven students and staff
Access to the poster exhibition is included during all Expanding Agency events
Open lecture: Expanding Agency and Feminism with Hilde Heynen - S&A x PAF (ENG)
Thursday, 3 December 2026 – 19:00 - 21:00 I Visit to the poster exhibition included from 18:00.
Tickets: pay what you can ( €5 / €10 / €15 / Choose a free ticket if that better suits your financial situation.)
Open lecture: Expanding Agency and Decolonisation with Luce Beeckmans - S&A x PAF (ENG)
Thursday, 10 December 2026 – 19:00 - 21:00 I Visit to the poster exhibition included from 18:00.
Tickets: pay what you can ( €5 / €10 / €15 / Choose a free ticket if that better suits your financial situation.)
Conversation evening: Expanding Agency on Women, Race and Modern Architecture - S&A x PAF (ENG)
Wednesday, 16 December 2026 – 19:00 - 21:00 I Visit to the poster exhibition included from 18:00.
In conversation with Menna Agha, Kathleen James Chakraborty and Tasneem Nagi. The event will take place in a hybrid format, with Menna Agha joining us online and Kathleen James-Chakraborty and Tasneem Nagi attending in person.
Tickets: pay what you can ( €5 / €10 / €15 / Choose a free ticket if that better suits your financial situation.)
Accessibility
The space where the conversation will take place (second floor) is unfortunately not accessible by elevator. Please contact us (manon.rupus@stadenarchitectuur.be) so that we can provide adequate assistance.