Post by ION develop different

Years after completion, a strong urban project still feels alive. Kristof Vanfleteren, CEO and Co-founder of ION, revisits a former neglected inner-city site in Leuven that has become a lively mix of homes, student rooms, shops, culture and public life. 👇 English subtitles available below. #Leuven #Vesalius #UrbanRegeneration #MixedUseDevelopment #CinemaZED #StudentHousing #UrbanLiving #IONshorts #ION (English subtitles) This is how we transformed an old neglected inner-city site in Leuven into an entirely new part of the city. It used to be a mix of single-family homes, an old cinema hall and an old car garage. We turned it into a completely new city district consisting of a mix of functions. On the one hand, around 60 apartments, 60 student rooms, 2,000 square metres of retail space and, importantly, an auditorium for KU Leuven. Here you can see fantastic retail spaces that are doing very well, mixed with a health centre with apartments above it, which brings the city to life. This used to be a run-down neighbourhood and the Tiensestraat was completely dead. The nice thing about this project is that there are more square metres underground than above ground. What was also very important was the creation of this street, which became the beating heart of this inner-city site. In addition, we also brought a cultural aspect into the project through the integration of two cinema halls for Cinema ZED, which were also connected to a fantastic cultural café where you can enjoy a beer after a screening. I am British. You are British? Yes. Was it a good film? Fantastic. I cried a lot. That’s good. Thank you. Enjoy your Sunday!

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