075: Barbara Van Biervliet: Award-Winning Experimentations with Architecture, Sculpture, and Design

Barbara Van Biervliet is an architect and engineer from Knokke, Belgium, and the co-owner of the boutique architecture studio Claerhout–Van Biervliet (CVB) which she runs with her partner in life and work, Xaveer Claerhout. The pair also have three children: Jacob, Adriaan, and Johanna.

At CVB, the team creates sculptural, organic architecture and bespoke interiors for high-end residential, hospitality, and office projects. Barbara is also the co-owner of Metamorphic Art Studio, which pushes the boundaries of design, architecture, and art by implementing physical transformation and metamorphosis.

We talk about:

- The origin story of Periscope House, CVB’s recent work which was featured in the Venice Biennale. Barbara reveals how a simple question about preserving a pristine landscape led to the design for a sunken home with kinetic mirrors that reframe light, views, and inhabitants’ relationship to the earth.

- We explore Barbara’s parallel practice designing and building illuminated art that transforms through touch, motion, and light and how these works blur the boundaries between architecture and sculpture.

- When describing her design process, Barbara explains why 3D modeling, cinematic renderings, and physical prototypes are her essential tools for developing complex ideas.

- To end, Barbara reflects on building a studio with her husband, sharing candid insights on balancing intuition and refinement, motherhood and ambition, and creative guilt while raising independent, art-loving children.

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Connect with Barbara:

CVB Website: https://www.claerhout-vanbiervliet.com/

Metamorphic Art Studio: https://metamorphicartstudio.com/

Periscope House: https://www.periscope-architecture.com/

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