ZWERVER

Kaj Zwerver (1995, Haarlem, he/him) is an interior architect, writer and activist. Currently living and working in Ghent, the same city where he studied at KASK School of Arts and KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture.

His Dutch-Indonesian roots and a childhood shaped by many moves, from the Netherlands to Switzerland and the Belgian border region, are fundamental to his view of the world. These moves gave him a keen awareness of people and their surroundings.

From his own practice, Studio Zwerver, he writes about the intersections of architecture and society, engages in activist interventions and researches a critical approach to architecture.

In 2025 this led to a nomination for the Geert Bekaert Prize for architecture criticism with an essay on homelessness and design activism. Kaj was one of the five finalists of the Archined Critics Night, held during Rotterdam Architecture Month.

Through his role as infrastructure manager at NTGhent City Theatre and further engagements in Ghent’s cultural sector, as a member of the Young Panel at the arts centre VIERNULVIER, guide at Design Museum Ghent and board member of the Ghent Ecological Centre, he positions himself in the middle of the debate and actively tries to contribute to making the city more liveable.

Photo: Thomas Dhanens