Paul Schellekens was born in 1939 into a family that faced adversity early on. When Paul was four years old, he lost his mother. His father was left with four young children and remarried a year later. Despite this difficult childhood, Paul developed an interest in drawing and creativity, partly due to the influence of his father, Jozef Schellekens, who was not only an architect but also a talented draftsman and painter. Paul remembers his father regularly making pen drawings in the living room and painting in his studio. This artistic environment laid the foundation for Paul’s own creative development.
Although Paul struggled with the strict academic requirements in his early school years and repeated several grades, he eventually found his stride in modern humanities. Here, he discovered his talents for drawing, gymnastics, recitation and singing. His growing self-confidence and artistic skills prepared him for a career in architecture.
After high school, Paul began his education at the National Higher Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning (NHIBS) in Antwerp, following in his father’s footsteps. From his first year, he stood out thanks to his artistic and refined drawings. Paul’s designs were strongly influenced by the international modernist movement, with clear inspiration from the work of Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and other prominent figures of that time. He immersed himself with intensity in architectural magazines and international publications, all of which gave him a broad vision of the possibilities of modern architecture.
Throughout his studies, Paul became fascinated by the emerging brutalist movement, a style characterised by raw materials and expressive forms. His designs combined strict modernist principles with organic influences from nature. An example of this was his design for a 50-meter-high tower, which reflected both a brutalist design language and botanical motifs. This project earned him the prestigious Glaverbel Prize in 1962.
Besides his formal education, Paul learned much during study trips to Rome, Switzerland and, later, the United States. He visited iconic buildings such as Le Corbusier’s secretariat building in Chandigarh, the Taj Mahal, and Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. These trips inspired him to integrate monumentality and emotion into his designs.
After graduating, Paul began collaborating with his brother-in-law, Carli Vanhout. This partnership proved to be a winning combination. While Vanhout brought practical experience and technical construction knowledge, Paul contributed innovative ideas and a deep understanding of international architectural movements. Their collaboration resulted in a series of projects that were both functionally and aesthetically innovative.
Their first major joint projects were the health centre in Hoogstraten and social housing in Oud-Turnhout. Paul’s influence was visible in the brutalist details, such as rough-cast concrete, cubist forms and pronounced façades. Together, they developed a unique design language that combined austere modernist principles with expressive brutalist elements.
In 1966, Paul Schellekens won the Prix de Rome, one of the most prestigious awards in the architectural world. This prize confirmed his status as one of the most talented architects of his generation. Besides recognition, the prize brought him new professional opportunities and the ability to further develop his vision.
The collaboration between Vanhout and Schellekens reached its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, with projects such as the Saint Victor elementary school, the Poor Clares monastery and the De Warande Cultural Centre in Turnhout. Each of these projects testified to their shared vision and the way they complemented each other as architects.
In 1970, Paul Schellekens was appointed as professor of ‘study of form’ at the State Higher Institute of Architecture in Antwerp. In this role, he inspired a new generation of architects for more than thirty years. His influence as a teacher was significant; he emphasised the importance of personal style and the need to integrate both functional and emotional aspects in designs.
After 1986, when his collaboration with Vanhout ended, Paul continued working under his own name. He remained faithful to his principles of brutalist expression and organic forms, and his designs reflected a deep connection with nature and human scale.
Paul Schellekens is remembered as a visionary architect who explored the boundaries of modernism and brutalist architecture. His work has had a lasting influence on the architecture of Turnhout and beyond. Through his combination of international influences, technical craftsmanship and a deep understanding of human needs, his work remains a source of inspiration for architects worldwide.
His role as a teacher and mentor ensured that his ideas and principles were passed on to future generations. Paul Schellekens is known not only for his designs but also for his ability to elevate architecture to an art form that resonates both functionally and emotionally.