Joris M.J. Scheers

Spatial Planner and Sociologist (PhD, MSc) - Visiting Professor at KU Leuven - Honorary President ECTP-CEU - Project Manager Flanders Government

Joris is professionally active in the field of urban development, spatial planning, architecture & heritage and public governance. For the last three decades he has been working as...
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Joris M.J. Scheers

Joris is professionally active in the field of urban development, spatial planning, architecture & heritage and public governance. For the last three decades he has been working as academic, as consultant and as civil servant. He obtained his PhD on the theme of exponentially growing cities in Latin America at the KU Leuven University (Belgium), where he is currently visiting professor. As former deputy Government Architect and Manager of creative and sustainable cities, he is involved in various urban and regional policy issues within the Flanders Government of Belgium..

Over the past decades, he performed as international consultant for spatial policy projects and programs in cities and countries in Latin-America, Africa and Asia. He has been UN-Habitat expert for the elaboration of International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning (2012-2014) and has been President and Secretary General of the European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP-CEU).

Joris drafted several papers on strategic planning issues and chaired numerous jury’s in the field of spatial planning and architecture. He has been president of the Association for Spatial Planning in Flanders (VRP)
Joris is recognized for exploring strategic approaches within the public governance field, including cross level integration of local, regional, national and international agendas. He combines conceptual thinking with a pragmatic - project driven - problem solving attitude, keeping close touch with planning practice as the chair of the Municipal Spatial Planning Advisory Board of the city of Leuven.

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Elisabeth Concert hall Antwerp

In 1897 a Great Concert Hall was built at the Antwerp Astridplein next to the Zoo and the central station. Initiated by the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, it was replaced in 1960 by the Queen Elizabeth Hall, famous for its excellent acoustics and its ideal dimensions. This international landmark in the heart of Antwerp has a unique atmosphere, especially linking up with the historical infrastructure of the surrounding Zoo.

The Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp developed the idea of building a new concert and congress hall and asked the Vlaams Bouwmeester (Flanders Government Architect) in 2009 to organize a European Open call. After the procedure, the jury identified, Ian Simpson’s design team from Manchester as best candidate. He created an inspiring, flexible and powerful building with great attention to energy conservation. The building is bright and elegant and relates with the existing historic buildings and the Astridplein. Simpson collaborated with world authority in acoustics, Kirkegaard Associates (Chicago).

The new Elisabeth Concert Hall hosts the Royal Flemish Philharmonic and reopened its doors in November 2016.

Joris Scheers was deputy Flanders Government Architect between 2008-2010 and chaired the Open call jury on the Elisabeth Concert Hall in 2009.

http://www.vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/team-vlaams-bouwmeester/historiek


more info: Interview of Ian Simpson about the Flanders Meeting & Convention Center and the Concert Hall


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