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Louis Cloquet (1849-1920): Architectural writings of a critical engineerLaurens Bulckaen and Rika DevosBATir Department, École polytechnique de BruxellesCivil engineer Louis Cloquet was a key figure in architecture culture in Belgium at the turn of the twentieth century. Trained as ingénieur civil des ponts et chaussées, he became an important author in architecture journals and an active and appreciated architect, involved with diverse institutions, disciplines and practices. In Ghent, he was affiliated with all three schools of architecture, inspired by divergent ideologies: the catholic Sint-Lucas school (based on an arts &#38; crafts training), the Academy of Fine Arts (following the beaux arts tradition) and the Ghent University, where the Ecole polytechnique organised the training in ingénieur civil architecte. As a professor of architecture at Ghent University, he published his teachings in the five volumes of his Traité de l’Architecture (1898-1901), an annotated, encyclopaedic work of theory that illustrates the scientific rigueur Cloquet sought to introduce, calling for a new kind of architect: ‘artiste et ingénieur’.The paper will highlight the “critical position” of the engineer Cloquet in his writings on architecture, based on a selective reading of his Traité and his articles in the contemporary specialist press. The paper will question the impact of the specificity of the engineer’s view on architecture, built on his advanced knowledge of new building technologies and experience in the processes of “scientification” of engineering and its teachings. Can Cloquet’s ideas on architecture, as defended in his writings and illustrated in his buildings, be understood as an inherent, but pervading criticism on the contemporary state of building in Belgium, taking a stance in ongoing debates on the position of architects, the basis of knowledge in building, engineering versus art, the importance of traditional architecture, etc.?This paper will present preliminary research results on the history of architecture criticism in Belgium (20th century), the topic of the master thesis of the first author.&#160;Laurens Bulckaen is a MA2 student in architectural engineering in the Bruface programme, which is a joint degree organized by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Under the supervision of prof. R. Devos, he is preparing his MA thesis, “Criticism as cultural practice. A history of Belgian critics and criticism in architecture,” to be defended in 2017. The topic originates from a personal interest, built on a long-standing fascination for the challenge of “writing (in) architecture” as encountered in architecture history and theory. Rika Devos is an engineer architect and holds a PhD in engineering sciences: architecture (Ghent University, 2008). Her doctoral dissertation focused on the representation of post-war modern architecture at the 1958 Brussels world's fair, dealing with notions of (worldwide) dissemination of modernist ideals in architecture culture. Engaged full time at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in 2012, Rika Devos is associate professor at the BATir Department of the Ecole polytechnique de Bruxelle s, where she is responsible for the research unit AIA (Architecture and Ingénierie Architecturale). Rika Devos’ research develops around two topics: exhibition architecture and the history of modern architecture and construction, focussing on shifting formats of collaboration (mainly, but not solely, between engineers, architects and building contractors), design tools (and their paperwork) and notions of (international) knowledge exchange. See: http://batir.ulb.ac.be/index.php/research/aia-architectural-engineering