Ad Hoc Baroque - Book Launch

Finally officially launched and now in orbit. Ad Hoc Baroque. Marcel Raymaekers' reuse architecture in postwar Belgium was presented this Tuesday at the Flemish Architecture Institute in Antwerp, during crowded session in presence of the Marcel Raymaekers himself. Speakers included co-authors Lionel Devlieger, Arne Vande Capelle and Stijn Colon, as well as photographers Anja Hellebaut and Anthony De Meyere. 

Ad Hoc Baroque is the crystallization of a two-year research project by a team from Rotor and the University of Ghent into Marcel Raymaekers' post-war reuse architecture. Through his company Queen of the South, founded in 1972, Raymaekers bought and restored thousands of tons of antique building parts. He reused them to his own design in more than 120 buildings. His exceptional practice has long been viewed suspiciously by the architectural world. The book aims to change that and finally give his work the attention it deserves.

A special shout out to Simon Casier and Petra Fieuws, our favorite graphic designers, who were also present that evening, and who did, once again, an amazing job on this book. We were glad also to see, that evening, so many commissioners of Raymaekers’ buildings, with their families.

The book is now available in Belgium, at the better bookstores and at Rotor DC (you can order online here).
Internationally, the book is distributed by IDEA books, see the link here.

The exhibition Unfolding the Archives #6 Marcel Raymaekers, pioneer in circular architecture is still on view at the Flemish Architecture Institute, Antwerp, until March 17, 2024. More details here.