Carli Vanhout, son of a contractor, graduated in 1956 from the Saint Lucas Institute in Brussels and began his career modestly. In his early years, he would cycle to construction sites. His first major commission was the renovation of Frans Tanghe’s house in Ravels. The fee allowed him to buy a car, which helped him expand his practice. In 1958, he married Mia Schellekens, daughter of provincial architect Jozef Schellekens, which would have a significant influence on his career.
In the early years of his practice, Vanhout primarily built houses in a moderate modernist style. His designs were characterised by white-painted brick walls under gabled roofs with black tiles. The façades were often varied with carefully-placed windows and accents in dark brick or natural stone. He was strongly influenced by Scandinavian architecture and regularly travelled to Scandinavia for inspiration. His work shows influences of Arne Jacobsen, whose style was introduced in Belgium at the time through architects like Jacques Wybauw.
In 1959 Vanhout received his first commission from the Turnhout Society for Housing. His early social housing, such as the 25 houses in Baarle-Hertog (1960), shows his modernist approach, with light brick façades and sleek windows. This style evolved into a more brutalistic idiom, as seen in the 24 social houses in Oud-Turnhout (1963). Here he used smooth-form concrete in combination with dark bricks and functional concrete elements. We see a similar style in the ten senior homes Den Horst in Turnhout (1964), where rough-form concrete and deep window openings dominate the façades.
When Paul Schellekens officially joined the Atelier in 1964 after he finished his studies, it marked a crucial step in both of their careers. Together they developed a brutalist design language, strongly inspired by Le Corbusier’s late work. Their joint home and architectural office (1964) served as a business card for their practice. The interior was unusually roughly finished with ungrouted brick walls, exposed concrete ceilings, and concrete furniture. Other houses from this period include the Van den Nieuwenhuyzen-Caers residence (1965), reflecting a functional and practical approach, and the Janssens house (1968), where the interplay of volumes was a key element.
Another highlight of their collaboration was the health centre in Hoogstraten (1963). This building shows Vanhout’s influence in its clear geometry and material choices, while Schellekens added more expressive elements, such as additional window bars and angled walls.
Their joint projects also included villas such as Hoppenbrouwers (1963), Verboven (1964), and Peeters in Turnhout (1969), which followed a simpler design with closed façades and carefully placed windows.
In 1966, Vanhout was involved in various large-scale projects, including the Parkwijk in Turnhout, the Poor Clares monastery, and the De Warande Cultural Centre. The Parkwijk stands out for its uniform execution and functionality, while the Poor Clares monastery has a more human scale with dynamic roof structures and blind façades. De Warande, a cultural centre, is characterised by monumental cylindrical forms and detailed interior structure. However, the most impressive building from this period is the Saint Victor elementary school, featuring a playground on the first floor and a robust concrete skeleton that emphasizes the architecture.
The collaboration between Vanhout and Schellekens ended in 1986, after which Schellekens remained active as a lecturer and professor of architecture. Their joint oeuvre is characterised by a combination of brutalist experiments and restrained modernism, with a strong emphasis on functionality and expressive architectural details.
After the tragic death of Carli in 2000, his son, Luc Vanhout took over the practice.