Elien Vannevel

Elien graduated in Master of Architecture at KU Leuven in 2017. She further deepened her knowledge with Urban and Spatial Planning and previously obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design at KASK, Ghent. She is currently studying journalism.

In addition to being an architect, Elien is a lecturer at KASK, School of Arts and a practice assistant at KU Leuven, Faculty of Architecture, where she supervises students at different stages of their studies. She worked as an architect at the City of Ghent, is a member of Archipel and of the foundation of ar(t)chitect Johan Van Geluwe.

Elien attaches great importance to the context in which buildings arise and is convinced that architecture can only be truly understood when it is experienced in person, rather than just on paper or in theoretical form. Seeing, feeling and experiencing art and architecture brings the discipline to life and provides indispensable insights. Her passion for contextual design and the Genius Loci finds its theoretical basis in works such as Juhani Pallasmaa’s The Eyes of the Skin, which emphasises the phenomenological approach in architecture. Elien attaches great importance to the social impact of architecture and the interaction between people and space. She believes that art and architecture not only have aesthetic value, but also tell stories and bring people closer together. Elien has been working as a guide at planopli since 2024, where she has the opportunity to share these experiences with others.