Exemplary pilot project for cohousing with 12 apartments and shared facilities
The exemplary cohousing project "De Sijs" is located on the edge of Leuven's city centre, and consists of two compact housing buildings, each with 6 apartments, and the renovation of an old cafeteria, now hosting the collective functions of this cohousing project. The conception was an intense co-design process with the participation of the future inhabitants. The land is a ground lease from the community (the city). The housing buildings are wood-frame structures, with a cork facade cladding.
Local
Belgium
Leuven, Flanders
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-02-23
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): OFFICEU architects for urbanity Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Pieter Last name of representative: Maes Gender: Male Nationality: Belgium Function: associate Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Paleizenstraat 153 Town: Schaarbeek Postal code: 1030 Country: Belgium Direct Tel:+32 479 27 41 39 E-mail:pieter@offic.eu Website:https://offic.eu
The exemplary cohousing project ‘De Sijs’ is located on the edge of Leuven's city centre, a small convivial historical city in Belgium.
The project consists of two compact housing buildings, each with 6 apartments, and the renovation of an old cafeteria, giving its name to this project, and now hosting the collective functions of this cohousing project.
After an open competition, the project of OFFICEU architects for urbanity was chosen because of the quality of the design, the innovative solutions for privacy and collectivity, the integration of the project within the neighbourhood and the special attention for a global sustainability.
An ideal balance between privacy and collectivity, with a strong link to the neighbourhood and a vast diversity in inside and outside spaces were the main objectives for this project, aiming for the highest possible living quality.
Three separate building volumes are connected by an L-shaped circulation axis, along which the entrances to the flats and the collective spaces are located. This maximizes the chances of meeting each other and strengthens the collectivity.
The old cafeteria named "De Sijs", a listed 18th-century building at the centre of the circulation axis, is the main entrance to the project and contains a collective dining space with kitchen, a cosy living space, a fully equipped guest stay, an atelier and a coworking space, becoming the inviting face to the project and the beating heart of the collective life.
Along the circulation axis, a (still growing) plant curtain offers privacy towards the street, creating an inviting space for spontaneous talks with the other inhabitants, in a green and flowery environment.
A generous terrace, linked with the collective dining space, leads to the shared garden via an organic staircase. A place away from the hustle and bustle of the street in front, a secluded and wonderful setting to relax, meet and play.
community
ground lease
social sustainability
co-design
multiple use of space
Cohousing De Sijs is an exemplary project for innovative and sustainable building and living, the Belgian equivalent of BREEAM, considering a global sustainability throughout every aspect of the project, not only in terms of construction method, but also in terms of spatial and social impact of the project on its residents and the neighbourhood.
By sharing certain functions, the apartments themselves can be more compact, reducing the amount of building material and lowering the spatial impact of the project.
The buildings are constructed with a maximum of renewable resources and are easily adaptable or even dismountable. By using a skeleton structure with light infill walls, the lay-out of the apartments can also be changed over time, being adapted to changing needs or inhabitants.
The outer shell consists almost entirely out of wood or wood derivates, making it possible to reach a very high thermal insulation value with a very limited wall thickness, maximizing costly usable space. The cork panels for the façade cladding, compressed leftovers from the cork industry, are water resistant, breathable, thermically insulating and rot resistant. Because of their high density, they also buffer sound better than traditional facade insulation and protect the building from overheating. Being a natural product, the heterogonous colour gives the building a warm and soft touch.
Because of very high insulation values of the building shell and the use of sustainable techniques (photovoltaic panels and a solar boiler), the project is nearly energy neutral.
It is clear that this project on a human scale is not only about buildings, but also about the unbuilt, the open space and its different atmospheres, its experiences and its relations with the context in each of the subspaces.
The natural height difference on the site is used to create an open parking level, connected to the collective outside space. This increased the usability of the space drastically, not only providing easily accessible space to park cars and bikes, but also offering multifunctional covered outside space, in direct link with the garden.
Above all, because of the materials, the colour palette, the diverse built and unbuilt spaces and the spatial organisation, a very warm, generous, and almost intimate place is created. A project that truly is a place to call a home.
A very diverse group of people are living together in this project, supporting each other where necessary. The project is really based on bringing together these very diverse people: both young couples with children as well as retired residents, both people with care needs (physical or mental) as well as (currently) healthy. This mix makes living a strong community.
Collectivity is encouraged, and the link with the neighbourhood is strong, making the cohousing project to play an important role in the social cohesion of the neighbourhood. This makes a project that provides a gentile framework for everyday life, able to adapt itself rather than to impose a way of living. A project to feel at home.
A cohousing project is in many ways different from a standard housing project. Collective and personal interests must go hand in hand at all times. To achieve this, the future inhabitants were involved in the design process from a very early stage, enabling them to participate in the design process, but also confronting them with the impact of personal choices on the project as a whole. Still today, there are regular meetings, common task lists, etc.
Sustainability is as constant thread running through this project, much broader than merely ecological or energetic. We also attach great importance to social sustainability. For instance, we have taken into account that people will be able and want to continue living in De Sijs, by being able to adapt their home to their stage of life.
A cohousing project is in many ways different from a standard housing project. Collective and personal interests must go hand in hand at all times. To achieve this, the future inhabitants were involved in the design process from a very early stage, enabling them to participate in the design process, but also confronting them with the impact of personal choices on the project as a whole.
In its search for new forms for the realisation of affordable housing on its territory, the city of Leuven launched a competition to offer the site as a ground lease. In doing so, the city was specifically looking for an inclusive cohousing project that had to be globally sustainable and also add value to the neighbourhood, not just its residents. So from these conditions, the city clearly played a part in the design of the project, which contributed to a great openness and meaningful relationship to the neighbourhood. In exchange, the city offers the land on a 99-year ground lease.
To allow the use of cork as facade cladding, a derogation from the legislation on fire prevention had to be requested from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In order to obtain this derogation, compensatory measures towards fire safety had to be taken, which therefore also found a translation in the design: the external circulation on the street sides to the residential units not only increases the contact and relationship of the residents with the neighbourhood, but also contributes to increased safety in case of an eventual evacuation.
Besides the standard partners of a building project (architect, engineers, etc.), this also brought together expertises in groundwater, cohousing, urban revitalisation, archaeology both from public authorities and private players, and of course the future residents.
This made the process from start to finished building an intensive one, but one that led to a much more enriching result than what a standard residential development by a promoter could produce.
The Western way of living and housing is very much focused on the individual, especially in the urban environment. Mutual involvement has become lost. This cohousing project succeeds in creating a community again, intergenerationally, where group members are also there for each other (babysitting, caring, dining together, etc.). By sharing what is possible and useful, but without neglecting the need for privacy and intimacy, by providing places for spontaneous meeting, the project creates an intelligent form of community, of interconnectedness.
Engagement, appropriation and a positive sense of identity are key values that the project promotes through its architecture. For instance, because of the relative openness of the communal outdoor spaces, the inhabitants are regularly approached by passers-by to talk about the project's quality of life, or just as much for spontaneous exchanges.
The project is innovative on several levels. First, it involves a new model of ownership, in which the residents are not landowners - only shared owners of the building - and only use the land by means of a ground lease from the city (and thus the community), which prevents speculation and makes affordable housing possible.
In addition, the construction method can also be called innovative, with a minimisation of the necessary materials (e.g. limiting external wall thicknesses by having each layer contribute to the thermal insulation of the outer shell) or the use of a residual ecological product (cork) as visible cladding.
The design of the (compulsory) parking garage is also innovative: instead of a closed, underground volume usable only for one purpose (car parking), it forms an open, multifunctional space, as a covered addition to the outdoor space.
A new chapter for the site and the existing café building should not start from a tabula rasa, but should give renewed and meaningful meaning to these former functions, where old and new merge into a valuable and future-oriented whole. The identity of the place is not lost sight of, its soul preserved.
From the beginning, residents were deeply involved in the design process. They were accompanied organisationally by an association specialised in cohousing projects. As architects, we provided the directing role, as spatial experts who translated the peculiarities of the context, the many framework conditions and the sometimes contradictory wishes and requirements of the residents into a coherent spatial and functional whole, with equal attention to overall aesthetics.
This project is a model project in many respects, and has also already been published in sample books for future-oriented and sustainable urban planning (see attached file). Below, we like to list some elements.
The process of co-design with residents is enriching for both residents and designers, and can certainly prove its value in other projects.
The exemplary use of materials, wood, recycled materials, cork as visible cladding, are also valuable elements to be applied.
The multiple use of space is an important tool, where, for example, a car park is equally a multifunctional covered outdoor space, so that spatial gains can be made.
The reintegration of a building that lost its function (the café) into a new valuable place for the community should be a standard for dealing with existing buildings.
The ground lease formula is a very interesting concept, both for the community (the land remains the property of the community) as well as for the residents ( in terms of affordable housing in an urban setting).
The project breaks through the individualistic nature of life in Western society, creating a new sense of belonging, without neglecting the need for individual privacy.
Naturally, the project also contributes positively to the fight against climate change, from a global sustainability approach.
The sustainable handling of rainwater, with maximum reuse and 100% on-site infiltration, is also a good local example for a global issue.
The issues of demographic ageing, and care needs also find an answer in this project, by making lifelong living possible, with a nearby network of people who can support each other.
Finally, it also sets an example for affordable housing, where people are able to live qualitatively in the urban environment.
