OFFICE  KGDVS

OFFICE 224

HOUSING COMPLEX – Ghent

The project called for a transformation of a former industrial building, which took up the entire deep and narrow plot along the Scheldt river in the centre of Ghent. The existing building is partially renovated, and has added volumes to accommodate a new housing development. A precise study of the existing building, and an attempt to open up this dense structure, resulted in a scheme of alternating built volumes and open courtyards. The complex comprises a storefront, an atelier, and a two-story apartment along the street. In the back, there is one studio apartment and two single-family houses. The existing brick perimeter wall on the site is preserved and painted white, defining the base of the entire complex, while all the volumes above this wall are plastered. Each housing unit has an access from the courtyard, and a generous exposure to it. An uninterrupted passage is meandering in-between the volumes, which have corner indentations. To maintain a close proximity of the individual houses, but also a sense of detachment and privacy, landscape played an important role. Whereas each house has its own courtyard, they all merge in a single garden that enables circulation and stretches throughout the entire plot.   

Year

2017 –

Location

Ghent, BE

Type

Mixed use, Residential, Adaptive reuse,

Status

Ongoing

Surface

800 m2

Client

Private

Collaborator(s)

DS Engineering, Kollektif landscape, Raco, Pans Consultancy, Yure

Design team

Kersten Geers, David Van Severen, Jan Lenaerts, Leander Venlet, Thomas Mertens, Photini Mermiga, Sacha Ketelbuters

Info