Erik Dhont Landscape Architects

Brussels-based Erik Dhont established his practice in 1989 and founded Erik Dhont bvba in 2012. The portfolio balances private, corporate and public commissions.

Trained in graphic design at the Sint-Lucasinstituut, then in landscape architecture at the Hoger Rijksinstituut voor Tuinbouw (Vilvoorde), Dhont articulates preliminary ideas through sketches that are then developed by his team, always in close consultation with the client. Interactions of volumes and voids, not only of the built environment but of earthworks, water, and plant material, are tempered by practical considerations that foreground the intended use of the site.

Projects involving historic sites often involve the use of reclaimed materials, which are used not to reconstruct the past but to honour it. The needs of the present, both in practical and ecological terms, are balanced with respect for the historical context.

Trees and shrubs are planted not only for their ornamental and botanic interest but as a habitat for wildlife. Wildflowers are often introduced and allowed to seed themselves. Due consideration is given to flowering season and how plants will mature to shape and influence the environment. The future evolution of the site is always in mind.

Recent projects include the renovation of the Lievehof in Ghent, the roof garden of the Picasso Museum in Paris, and several projects to improve the landscape around social housing developments, business parks and crematoria.