About

For beautiful, humane and enduring architecture.

The Table Ronde de l'Architecture (T.R.A.) is a non-profit association dedicated to the preservation and teaching of traditional architecture.

Founded in December 2020 in Brussels by Nadia Everard and Noé Morin, the T.R.A. is based in Bruges since 2022.

What is traditional architecture? Far from being a style (e.g. Baroque, Classical, Art Nouveau) or a period (e.g. the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the 19th century), it is a method. It is the method of the architect who, when faced with a project, first asks himself: what programme, what materials, what techniques, what topography, what climate? It is the method of the builder who, humbly, prefers to rely on tradition rather than his own genius.

The architecture we advocate is architecture freed from dogma, whether it be the verses of Le Corbusier's Athens Charter or Vignole's canon, architecture that, freed from the pursuit of ‘style’, is not afraid to dwell on practical matters. It is an architecture that remembers that it is first and foremost a τέχνη (tékhnē), a science, and that it is only when its elements have been arranged logically and the form corresponds to the structure that the eye takes pleasure in recognising the principle of Beauty in this clever, accurate and reasoned construction. For what pleases the eye first pleases reason.

Based on the observation that architecture is deteriorating and taking on the appearance of a standardised product, La Table Ronde de l'Architecture seeks to identify the causes of this deterioration in order to provide a theoretical solution (through its Thoughts) and a practical solution (through its Schools, Workshops, Activities and Advice).

The schools of Bruges, Conques and Alsace bring together students from all over the world. Here, they discover the rigour of hand-drawing and the rules of composition, they exercise their eyes and their judgement on ancient architectural forms, and they learn about the stereotomy of wood and stone, ironwork, roofing and the main traditional building crafts. The aim of our teaching - both intellectual and practical - is to ensure that students become competent and free builders who are both curious and well-informed. This is the only way to reconnect with architecture that is beautiful, humane and enduring.