This monographic issue examines recent work by Belgian architects Kersten Geers and David Van Severen and their Brussels-based firm, OFFICE, which was established in 2002 as a means of exploring the prospect of architecture within the contemporary culture and urban environment. Currently a team of about 40 architects, it has evolved a practical and pragmatic approach to design in which architecture becomes nothing less than a civic obligation. An overview of 25 projects, including a crematorium, dental clinic, and art gallery, is introduced by a conversation with Giovanna Borasi, director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, and the two founding architects.