A transformed brownfield site in Ghent’s historic central core has been revealed, showcasing BOGDAN & VAN BROECK’s vision for a “world in itself” set amongst industrial ruins and characterized by what it calls “lockdown-compatible” living.

The factory building had sat unoccupied since 1997 before being acquired by developer sogent, who organized an international competition for the redesign project in 2009. The new cohousing project that resulted includes some 59 residential units, a network of landscaped communal gathering areas, and a health center in what is said to match a number of criteria central to the practice’s core mission to “offer a higher quality of life at an affordable cost.”

Per the architects: “The starting point for the design of Bijgaardehof was the triangular footprint of the industrial site. The perimeter walls form a simple and strong figure that defines the boundary between 'the world inside the wall' and the world outside. The strength of this figure provided the impetus to retain something of the world inside the wall and its typical spatiality. Due to its position — with a view of rear sides of buildings and infrastructure but also of the park — the old factory generates a surprising dynamic within the urban block.”

“By building somewhat higher on a smaller footprint, space could be created for more greenery between the buildings. This 'world in itself' acquired a strong individuality: not introverted or closed but porous,  open and permeable. In order to retain echoes of the former spatial qualities of the industrial site, it was logical not to opt for one large multifunctional building but for a network of outdoor spaces and buildings that speak the same language. This network of outdoor spaces forms a branched system — largely green and partly mineral — that organises and spatially connects all functions and buildings within a changing background of old and new contours.”

The name of the development is taken from a historic beekeeper’s garden that existed at the site in the 16th century. It was host to a number of significant graffiti drawings by a renowned street artist named Roa, which the architects sought to preserve deliberately owing to their content and its reflection in the project’s desire to reconnect urban life with the natural world.

The firm was also deliberate in its pursuit of a collaborative design developed with future residents of Bijgaardehof. The result are three separate residential groups with built-in winter gardens, multipurpose communal areas, and a rooftop garden. The site runs entirely on geothermal energy and includes a scant 25 parking spaces in line with the residents’ wishes to deliver a more bike-friendly way of life.

“I am very curious about how the 'co' of this 'housing' will develop in the future and how the residents and users will further appropriate the place,” BOGDAN & VAN BROECK founder Oana Bogdan said in a statement. “Now it is up to them to let Bijgaardehof flourish literally and figuratively.”