Officeu Architects unites cork-clad housing blocks in Belgium with communal living areas
Two cork-clad apartment blocks flank a renovated 18th-century building at the De Sijs co-housing project in Leuven, Belgium, designed by local studio Officeu Architects.
Located on a street corner at the edge of Leuven's historic town centre, the project combines 12 apartments and shared facilities around a central garden.
The De Sijs co-housing in Leuven incorporates an 18th-century building
The project, which is shortlisted in the housing project category of Dezeen Awards 2022, is designed to maximise opportunities for residents to meet each other.
It is named De Sijs after the cafe that formerly occupied the central 18th-century building, which has been repurposed as a communal living area and the "beating heart" of the project. The apartments feature cork cladding
"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," explained Officeu Architects.
"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," it continued.
A garden sits at the centre of the site
The thin gabled form of the old cafe stands at the corner of the site, with two blocks of six apartments on either...
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