The ambiguous position of architects during the interwar period: the case of the engineer Eugène François

This article evaluates the complementary and overlapping professional roles of architects engineers during interwar period in Belgium. The porosity these two professions remains largely under-researched contemporary historiography modern building, as historians tend to ascribe authorship architect without acknowledging traces intense collaboration between architects. Focusing on practice consulting engineer Eugène François (1870–1957) his with Alexis Dumont (1877–1962), this studies public buildings designed by duo examine day-to-day responsibilities period. It demonstrates how, prior legal establishment both professions, tasks duties that are now attributed were often covered engineers. intervention architects, other hand, was regarded necessary preserve aesthetic qualities appropriate façades domain. As Belgian law 1939 protected title attempted clarify their responsibilities, findings shed a new light practices designing attribution among ‘builders’ Belgium