The 2025 Visit by Holy Sepulchre

June 25, 2025

This year, we once again welcomed the 5th-year Architecture & Interior Design students from the Holy Sepulchre Institute in Turnhout. Guided by their teachers. Liesbet Paulussen, Daan Buys, and Justine Piedfort, they paid an inspiring visit to the home of Jozef Schellekens and the studio residence of Carli Vanhout.

It always brings us joy to welcome young aspiring designers and to immerse them in the story and atmosphere of these two architectural gems.

Following their visit, we received some lovely comments from the students:

  • The House of Architect Jozef Schellekens
    • I was amazed by the unique color choices in this house.
    • In the workspace, it must be wonderfully peaceful to work with this view and natural light at the drawing table.
    • In this house we could see drawings and sketches by the architect. These were beautifully detailed! The guide told us about the lives of the first residents and how they used this house, which was interesting as it gave us insight into daily life from the past.
    • I found this building impressive. The many details and unique colors will stay with me.
    • I found the spaciousness of the entrance hall very beautiful. The bench that accommodates the difference in levels is also cleverly integrated.

  • The Studio Residence of Carli Vanhout
    • The interior courtyard of this house was surprising. I also found the conversation pit very cozy.
    • I found it a great experience to be able to look inside this house. The way the interior walls transition into exterior walls is unique and creates a strong indoor-outdoor connection.
    • Both the patio and the fireplace were the eye-catchers of this house for me.
    • The brutalist building radiates tranquility. The row of plants that continues from outside to inside is absolutely beautiful!
    • I cycle past this building almost every day and I’ve always found it to be remarkable architecture. I’m very happy that I got to see the interior and now know more about the architect’s vision.
    • I like the concrete that was poured into rough plank formwork; it’s both raw and warm at the same time.
    • Thank you for allowing our ‘Interior & Architecture’ students from Holy Sepulchre to visit. We knew that a former student of our programme had recently worked here, and we took the opportunity to retrieve his models from the bulletin board in our classroom and hand them over. The eternal cycle of learning, gaining experience, and passing on experience became very apparent to us and our students.