KADERSTUDIO is an international architectural practice based in Brussels, founded as a partnership under a shared set of interests and objectives by Stijn Elsen and Simone Valerio.

Kaderstudio opposes the idea of architecture as mere production of auto-referential objects. It rather establishes it as an open-ended strategy able to integrate the notions of transformation and adaptation within the project, its space and its time.

Every assignment - from research to building – is premised upon an in-depth reading of the context, intended not simply as built environment but also as time stratification, which roots and extends its relations to its past and its future.

With no regard to scale or program, all tasks are constantly evaluated and developed under a very critical mindset aiming to define and legitimate the project within its specific, given framework - or, in Dutch, KADER.


Stijn Elsen graduated as Master of Sciences in Engineering Architecture at the University of Brussels. After his studies Stijn worked at Meta architectuurbureau in Antwerp where he was project architect of several small to big scale projects. Since 2015 he also contributes to research projects as a voluntary academic collaborator at the University of Brussels.

Simone Valerio studied architecture at IUAV University in Venice. He then moved to the Netherlands where he obtained a Master’s degree from TU Delft. Simone worked at Meta architectuurbureau in Antwerp where he led various design competitions, from housing to large public buildings, in collaboration with other internationally renowned architectural practices.