Carton123 is an architecture office founded in 2013 by Joost Raes and Els Van Meerbeek, both trained as engineer-architects at KU Leuven. After gaining experience at renowned practices such as Flores & Prats, WIT and De Smet Vermeulen, they started their own studio in Brussels. Over the years, the team has grown to six, with Jordy Van Osselaer (KUL Gent, 2013), Sara De Sterck (KU Leuven, 2019), Pauline Vermeulen (KUL Gent, 2020) and Inigo Custers (UGent, 2023) joining the practice.

Our home city, Brussels, is chaotic, complex, unfinished – a collision of architectural styles. This eclectic and layered context influences our work, shaping an approach that is open-minded, pragmatic and engaged. While we are firmly rooted in Brussels, its central location makes it a strategic base for projects across Flanders and Wallonia.

We work in Dutch, French and English, for a wide range of clients – private individuals, public authorities, developers and contractors. The projects we take on are deliberately diverse in type and scale: from schools to healthcare facilities, from social housing to small private apartments. This variety creates space for experimentation, for shifting speeds, and for a fresh perspective on each commission. We do not believe in limiting ourselves to one architectural specialism – new insights arise precisely from tackling each project with curiosity and an open approach.

What we stand for.
Sustainability is not a single strategy, but a constant, layered practice. We try to make the reuse of materials central in our approach of renovation projects: reclaimed timber, bricks, steel and carefully dismantled building components often find new life in our designs (Standaert, Decock…). For every project, we carefully weigh technical requirements, cost efficiency and environmental responsibility. We explore innovative materials and techniques such as timber frame construction, hemp-lime, clay…
We like to think of ourselves as bricoleurs – making the most with the least, turning constraints into opportunities, embracing both old and new techniques, and working with whatever means are at hand.

We are proud that our work has been recognised through mentions in (inter)national magazines and professional literature, and has regularly been nominated for architecture awards. Our projects have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, deSingel Antwerp, European House London, SAM Basel, Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam.

Carton123 strongly believes in passing on knowledge and inspiring young designers. Els Van Meerbeek is a guest lecturer at KU Leuven (engineering-architecture) and is pursuing a PhD on the imaginative power of architectural drawings.

Thank you to our previous collaborators: Jack Bailey, Jens De Schutter, Fatimazahra Hamoutahar, Marie-Caroline Kawa, Vincent Nuyts, Lukas Nys, Hannes Overmeire, Ross Pérez Aiyer, Patricia Ruiz Matilla, Manon Rupus, Bouchra Saadallah, Yasmine Vandeburie, Jonathan Vanhove, Amber Vermaete, Elise Vuylsteke, Sara Wuyts

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toezichthoudende autoriteit:
Orde van Architecten - Provinciale Raad Vlaams-Brabant en Brussel-Hoofdstad.
stamnummer B400051
deontologie : reglement van beroepsplichten
ondernemingsnummer 0899.796.447