Tom Packet

Tom Packet is a researcher at the Free University of Brussels, specializing in Belgian architectural history and Belgian-American architectural exchange. His work focuses on architect Victor Horta (1861-1947), particularly Horta's wartime sojourn in the US (1915-1919) and its impact on modernist architectural practices in Belgium. He is affiliated with the Hortamuseum (Library and Archives) and Wesleyan University (Visiting Scholar).

• PhD Dissertation: Allies in Architecture? WWI and the Americanisation of Belgian Architecture (2024)
• External Positions: Visiting Scholar at Wesleyan University (2025), Hortamuseum Archives (2020–present)

His research explores themes of standardization and prefabrication, post-WWI reconstruction, and the emergence of high-rise construction in Belgium. Recent conference papers and journal articles analyze:

• Technological shifts in Horta's work during WWI
• Edison’s concrete housing influence on pre-WWI Belgium
• Collaborative design processes for Belgium's first skyscraper
• Belgian pavilion at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition

Scientific awards include:

• BAEF Doctoral Research Fellowship (2023)
• FWO Aspirant Fellowship (2020)
• KNOB Stimuleringsprijs (2021)

Tom actively presents at international conferences, including Construction History Society (2024) and Colloque Art Nouveau belge (2025), and contributes to media discussions on Victor Horta's American influence and Art Deco history.