Post by Paulien Beeckman

Ever walked past an empty office block and thought: what a waste?🏢🤷‍♀️ Over the past two years, I’ve shared updates on new publications. But this time, I want to reflect on how my research began—with my master’s thesis. 📈Rising housing prices and growing waiting lists show how social housing is struggling to keep up. Meanwhile, cities face increasing office vacancy, especially post-COVID. 🏗️In Brussels, many office buildings are being converted. If you’ve walked through areas like Marcel Thierylaan, Woluwelaan, or the Northern Quarter, you may have seen construction sites for such office-to-housing conversion projects. But usually, these buildings are stripped down entirely—still generating significant waste. 📊Out of the 74 projects I mapped in my thesis, only 6 were actually aimed at affordable housing. That’s why I explored how circular design qualities can not only reduce environmental impact 🌍 but also lower construction costs. 💰 I analysed four projects that combine social housing with circular design and created leaflets to help architects and developers assess a building’s potential and find circular inspiration. 🔍Curious about the process, the findings, and a glimpse into my PhD steps? Check out my contribution in Erfgoed Brussel #39: https://lnkd.in/emy3HX_e 💬 Are you working on a similar project, or have you spotted a new conversion site recently? Feel free to reach out! 🤝 A warm thank you to Sven Sterken, Paula Dumont, and Jean-Marc BASYN for the invitation and trust to contribute to this publication and of course, my supervisors Waldo Galle, Niels De Temmerman and the advisor for my master thesis and colleague Margaux Lespagnard for their guidance. #Sciencestories #ErfgoedBrussel #AdaptiveReuse #Architecture #DesignForChange