CENTRAL OFAAU (Office for Architecture and Urbanism) is a Brussels-based practice founded in 2015 by Radim Louda, Paul Mouchet, Valentin Piret and former partner Pierre Burquel, who gained their experience respectively in Belgian and foreign offices (XDGA, BevkPerovi?, B-architects, AUC, V+).
Today, Radim Louda, Paul Mouchet and Valentin Piret are together developing a practice where they explore the blurred boundaries between the different scales of the architectural discipline. Their practice, both operational and reflexive, public and private, is based on the conviction that architecture must take shape through the relationships it creates with its urban, social, cultural and living environment.
CENTRAL's work has been exhibited in international exhibitions such as the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Biennale of Architecture and Landscape of Île-de-France (BAP) and the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR). They regularly give lectures and workshops in several European universities and teach at La Cambre-Horta in Brussels and at the ENSA-Versailles. Lately, they were nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2022.
Awards.-
2020 - Nominated for the European Mies Van der Rohe Award 2021 for the IMAL project, Center for Arts, Technology, Innovation and Inclusion in Brussels - association with NP2F.
2019 - Invited for the Biennale d'Architecture et de Paysage d'Île-de-France, exhibition of the research project and publication called: "Virtuous situations of the industrial past and some ideas for the future climate metropolis".
2018 - Winner of the Héliport competition, urban and financial opportunity study of a housing block on slab, Chaussée d'Anvers in Brussels.
2018 - Restricted competition for the construction of a new logistics site for the SUEZ sorting center along the Brussels canal.
2018 - Winner of the international competition 'Outside the Box' with the installation project EUROPA in the framework of the 16th Venice Biennale.
2017 - Winner of the competition for the redevelopment of public spaces and the transformation of sports halls into multi-purpose equipment in the Destrée district in Gilly (Charleroi).
2017 - Winner in temporary association with the V+ office of the Dilbeek Invitation Contest for the Open Oproep 32, Dom Savio nursery and elementary school.
2017 - 2nd place in the Condor invitation-only competition, 63 housing units in Brussels (association V+ - Bevk Perovic Arhitekti, CENTRAL representative).
2016 - Winner of the open competition for a special school in Templeuve organized by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
2016 - Winner of the invitational competition for a research project named 'Workshop Brussels Productive Metropolis' in the framework of the 'International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam' - IABR 2016 - The Next Economy.
2016 - Winner of the competition by invitation for the realization of the new digital arts center of Brussels IMAL (association NP2F, CENTRAL mandatary).
2016 - Co-winner of the EUROPAN 13 open competition for the redevelopment of the Place Destrée district in Gilly, Charleroi.
2015 - 2nd place in the competition for the urban design of the E. Coppéelaan in Genk in the framework of the Open Oproep 29 (collaboration 2001).
