An architecture and design tour of Ghent, from Brutalism to new galleries

Most visitors come to Ghent for the Gravensteen and St Bavo's Cathedral, but Wallpaper*'s Harriet Thorpe makes the case for its modern side, timed to the reopening of the Design Museum, now expanded by Carmody Groarke with local architects Atama and finished with a new low-carbon entrance wing.

Start with THE GET, a raw former supermarket that architect Glenn Sestig has turned into an experimental gallery beside his office; 'Wunderkammer Reimagined' opens there on 2 October. S.M.A.K. marks 40 years of Chambres d'Amis, the 1986 show that put art into private homes, until 10 January 2027. Nearby, the Herbert Foundation, a collectors' home in a 1920s frame factory, shows Andy Warhol films and documents until 27 June 2027.

Henry van de Velde's 64-metre concrete Book Tower is still under restoration, with its stack visitable only in small groups. The Wintercircus, once a circus and then a garage, now holds co-working spaces, a rooftop bar and a club, with its elephant ramps and petrol pumps kept.

A short drive out, Juliaan Lampens' Brutalist Van Wassenhove House opens to the public during a centenary exhibition at Museum Dhondt Dhaenens, from 29 November 2026 to 14 March 2027. Worth timing a weekend around that window.

Our summary of a story from Wallpaper*, published 10 October 2026. Read the original