He began his career when he was 18 years old, as an assistant designer working with Victor Horta, helping him with the Hôtel van Eetvelde and the Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis in Brussels.
Mobilised during World War I, Strauven died of his injuries on 19 March 1919 in a hospital in Haute-Savoie, France.
The Saint-Cyr House is Strauven's most important building, built between 1901 and 1903 in a flamboyant Art Nouveau style.
[1] The facade is entirely covered by polychrome bricks and has a good deal of wrought iron, which is adorned with geometric motifs and ornate balustrades at each floor.
[1] The house had been in a poor state of repair, but as of March 2013, has been restored to its former splendour by the Brussels architect Francis Metzger, from the MA² office.