Architect, Partner at 51N4E
Johan Anrys is a Belgian architect and co-founder of 51N4E, a Brussels-based architecture and urban design firm established in 1998. Named after the geographical coordinates of Brussels, 51N4E reflects a strong engagement with the European urban context and with architecture as a tool for social, spatial, and civic transformation.
Anrys has played a central role in shaping the studio’s collaborative and research-driven approach, focusing on projects that create adaptable spaces, strengthen public life, and respond to complex urban conditions. His work often explores how architecture can move beyond the object to become a process of negotiation, participation, and collective imagination.
Among the practice’s most notable projects are the redesign of Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, developed in collaboration with artist Anri Sala, and the C-Mine Cultural Centre in Genk, Belgium, which transformed a former coal mining site into a cultural destination. Alongside his practice, Anrys contributes to architectural discourse through lectures, teaching, and public discussions on architecture, urbanism, and the role of public space in contemporary cities.
