Detail van een schoolgebouw aan het Joseph Lebeau plein in Brussel, België before 1893

Römmler & Jonas captured this photograph, “Detail van een schoolgebouw aan het Joseph Lebeau plein in Brussel, België”, a study of a school building on Joseph Lebeau Square in Brussels. Consider the layered meanings of a school's architecture: a place for learning, but also an institution of social formation. Who has access, and who is excluded? The image, though, offers very few clues to these social dynamics, and instead, it presents us with a formal study of a specific architectural style which speaks to the designers' intent to capture and promote this aesthetic through the ‘Revue de l'architecture en Belgique’. This publication acted as a vehicle for architects to disseminate their designs, and to engage with broader conversations about architectural styles and urban planning. Ultimately, this photograph invites us to reflect on the role of architecture not just as a backdrop to our lives, but as an active participant in shaping our experiences and understanding of the world. What kind of society did this architecture aim to create and for whom?