The power of Glenn Sestig’s architecture diary
The publication of a new monograph by Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers, Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary, celebrates the powerful and quietly refined work of the Belgian architect
The Belgian architect Glenn Sestig’s new monograph is a testament to refinement, not just of physical form, but of materials and the interaction of light and shadow. On the surface, Sestig’s work feels like an endless quest in search of reduction and simplicity, but it’s the interplay of volumes, whether structural, material or physical, that gives these spaces their sense of enduring solidity.
There is no typical Sestig project, but there is a clear unity on display, from the grand villas that continue Belgium’s long-standing modernist tradition, as well as installation-like retail projects and one-offs (including work for our own Handmade series). His own studio in Deurle, for example, ably conjures up bunker Brutalism, fashion store serenity, Zen minimalism and a rugged Nordic aesthetic, coming up with something remarkably original in the process. Many of the projects within the Architecture Diary are hybrid spaces, in that they combine the art gallery asceticism with domestic scale.
In Sestig’s world, raw concrete is taken to another level of textured sensuality, with pre-cast and poured concrete elements standing alone amidst pared back surfaces, white walls, mirrors and rich natural materials. Floorplans are dense, multi-layered diagrams that are works of art in their own right, showing these low-lying, horizontal compositions seep into the surrounding landscape, meticulously fused with new planting and existing trees that punctuate their slender facades.
With photography throughout by Jean Pierre Gabriel and meticulous art direction by Diederik Serlet, Architecture Diary chronicles two decades of practice and 40 works, demonstrating remarkable cohesion of vision and approach. That’s not say there’s no evolution here; if anything, as Sestig’s ambition has expanded, so have the visions and demands of his clients. The Mulier Penthouse in Antwerp, home of the fashion designers Pieter Mulier and Matthieu Blazy, is characteristic of this synergy. A winding labyrinth of level changes, ramps and terraces, concrete adjacent to marble, the single bedroom rooftop apartment is part installation, part living space, a totally unique fusion of visions.
The monograph has an introduction by our very own Nick Vinson, along with an essay from wallpaper*’s Architecture Editor Ellie Stathaki and interviews with a number of key Sestig clients.
INFORMATION
Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary, Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers, $75
oropublishers.com; glennsestigarchitects.com
Also available with slipcase from Amazon
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
The 2024 Ivor Novello nominations for songwriting have been revealed
77 British and Irish songwriters and composers make up this year's nominees, announced tonight at London's Groucho Club
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebrating
Champagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
By Melina Keays Published
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024
Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
By Nargess Shahmanesh Banks Published
-
Marcio Kogan’s Studio MK27 celebrated in this new monograph from Rizzoli
‘The Architecture of Studio MK27. Lights, camera, action’ is a richly illustrated journey through the evolution of this famed Brazilian architecture studio
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Bruges Triennial 2024 takes over the city with contemporary art and architecture
Bruges Triennial 2024, themed 'Spaces of Possibility', considers sustainability and liveability within cities, looking towards a greener future
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Interior sculptor’ Christophe Gevers’ oeuvre is celebrated in new book
‘Christophe Gevers’ is a sleek monograph dedicated to the Belgian's life work as an interior architect, designer, sculptor and inventor, with unseen photography by Jean-Pierre Gabriel
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Flick through ‘Brutal Wales’, a book celebrating concrete architecture
‘Brutal Wales’ book zooms into a selection of concrete Welsh architecture treasures through the lens of photographer Simon Phipps
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Belgian house in the fields blends subtle minimalism with family life
House in the Fields by Stef Claes is a family retreat in the green Belgian countryside sprinkled with a US modernist architecture twist
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
House P’s linear, leafy composition aims for a ‘sensory architecture’
House P by Vandenborre Architecten is a family home conceived as a leafy sanctuary of minimalist elegance in suburban Belgium
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This 1970s brutalist house in Belgium has a new life as a designer’s home and studio
1970s brutalist house Villa Stuyven is now home to creative couple Bram Kerkhofs and Lore Baeyens, providing a concrete-lined backdrop to a life of design and collaboration
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Step inside the Pringiers family’s rural retreat in Belgium
Belgian architect Glenn Sestig’s latest project for the Pringiers family is a rural retreat and private gallery featuring an award-winning concrete construction
By Ellie Stathaki Published