Allies in architecture? WWI and the Americanisation of Belgian architecture , 1890-1939

'Allies in Architecture? WWI and the Americanisation of Belgian Architecture, 1890-1939' explores how Belgian architects observed and responded to American architecture as a source of inspiration from the late nineteenth century to the late 1930s. This dissertation addresses the topic through five distinct chapters. The first chapter analyses six mechanisms through which Belgian architects gained knowledge of American architecture. These mechanisms lay both within and beyond the architectural field and are examined across the entire chronological scope of this study. The second chapter focuses on what Belgian architects wrote about American architecture before the First World War. It looks at dominant themes – such as skyscrapers and American domestic comfort – as well as the transatlantic trips of urban theorist Charles Buls and architect Paul Saintenoy. This chapter reveals the ambivalence and uncertainty with which American architecture was received in Belgium before 1914, an attitude that shifted dramatically with the outbreak of the First World War. This shift is examined in the third chapter, which documents the experiences of Belgian architect Victor Horta, who lived in the United States from late 1915 to early 1919. Horta’s wartime experiences illustrate how Belgians began to view American architecture – and American society as a whole – as a valuable model for post-war reconstruction. The fourth chapter further substantiates this evolution by looking at three large-scale post-war rehabilitation projects initiated by American philanthropic organisations, which led to the creation of prestigious academic buildings in Belgium by the mid-1930s. These include the Louvain University Library funded by a committee from New York, the new campus buildings for the University of Brussels funded by the Commission for Relief in Belgium Educational Foundation and the new medical research institutes for the University of Brussels, a project supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. Finally, the fifth chapter demonstrates how other elements and best practices of American architectural culture began to influence Belgian architecture from the 1900s onwards. This is explored through a set of specific skyscraper projects, such as the Boerentoren in Antwerp, as well as by looking at larger debates in Belgium around the desirability of high-rise architecture. In sum, this dissertation demonstrates the rising prominence of American architecture during and after the First World War, explores how this phenomenon constituted a significant departure from pre-war observations, and assesses its lasting impact on the Belgian architectural field. By offering these insights, this study not only enriches Belgian architectural history but also deepens our understanding of the mechanisms at play in international architectural exchange.