‘Borgerwijk’ in Sint-Katelijne-Waver as impetus for a new society

At the end of September 2024, in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, a municipality just north of Mechelen (about halfway between Brussels and Antwerp), demolition work started on the former care facility Borgerstein. This ushered in a new phase of the Borgerwijk project. After previous interventions, these demolition works are the real start of an ambitious reconversion of a historical site into a green and sustainable residential area. Well-considered living, that's what Borgerwijk is all about.

We get more information from the two architecture firms that jointly bent over backwards to draw up the master plan for this new 80,000 m² multifunctional care and living campus. The architectural firms Beel Architects and archipelago and the landscape architects of Ontwerpbureau Pauwels (ed: the latter took care of the park zone around a pond that was handed over to the municipality) joined forces for the competition held in 2018 for the master plan of this long-term project, whose final completion is scheduled for 2028. They won the competition with a design that envisages the campus being equipped with a main road or spina, which structures the new buildings along the park like a red thread and streamlines logistical processes. Borgerwijk is being tackled according to the construction team formula ('design & build), for the client-project developer THV Bergesteyn (Cores Development - Vanhout Projects). To this we can add that Daidaloz peutz is responsible for the acoustics, Boydens (now Sweco) takes care of the techniques and Mouton is responsible for the stability.

Heritage site with seminar building

“The approach in which we use a ‘construction team’ made it possible to successfully combine our vision as architects of contemporary and humane living and care places with the practice-oriented and rich, constructive experience of the construction partners”, says Bert Dendooven, architect and director at archipelago. “Central to this is how we can give meaning to ‘living together’ while making it coincide with the specific needs of each resident.”

“The appeal of this site rests largely on its past history”, says architect Tom Ryckaert, project architect and director at design firm Beel architects. “In the 1930s, Cardinal Van Roey commissioned one of the largest seminary buildings in Belgium to be built in Sint-Katelijne-Waver. In 1936, the first priestly candidates began their studies in philosophy and theology there. A dramatic decline in priestly vocations put pressure on the future of this seminary, and in 1970 the archdiocese put the entire property up for sale.”

“The building complex and the adjacent park were bought in 1974 by the non-profit organisation Borgerstein”, explains Bert Dendooven. “This non-profit organisation transformed it into one of the largest care facilities in Belgium. People with disabilities were cared for here, and at the same time there was a function as a rest and care home, to which an artistic dimension was added in 2009. Eventually, the building proved so ‘run-down’ that construction of new care buildings next to the seminary building started in 2018. This was the first step in the redevelopment of the estate, with the non-profit association also giving permission for the old buildings and associated land to be redeveloped into a site for living, working, caring and experiencing.”

Old and new aligned

“We created an architectural whole in which old and new are aligned, with respect for the important heritage value of the former Sint Jozefseminarie”, states Tom Ryckaert. “The care campus was delivered in September 2021 after which further development of the site was realised. Several buildings are already in use. The non-profit association Borgerstein, for example, moved into the new care campus and Borgerwijk also welcomed its first new residents in the Philyra residence's assisted housing and flats in 2022. Social housing/ flats were also inaugurated that year.”

“The new care campus on the site of the former seminary building creates new homes adapted to the specific needs of each resident. The new multifunctional structures accommodate 70 residents with disabilities, 120 rest home residents and 50 residents in service flats. Buildings for logistic support are also part of the new structure in a development which, thanks to its division into several buildings, still manages to guarantee a form of basic scale”, clarifies Bert Dendooven. “The care campus integrates within the existing context and seeks a connection with the Berkendries site, where some 100 assisted living spaces have already been provided since 2011. The private, rather residential development will also be linked to the spina, which also provides access to the care campus. Neighbourhood-enhancing entities are also expected within the private development: a local shop, a day nursery, a school, catering facilities,..... However, the exact composition is still under development.”

Demolition and renovation works started

Currently, the outdated buildings are being demolished or renovated step by step. RotorDC, a cooperative specialising in the reuse of building materials, identified which materials in the seminary building could be given a second life and has now removed them. A specialised firm then began removing the asbestos present and started to dismantle the rear building.

After demolishing a first wall of the old seminary building, archaeologists will first carry out an extensive survey before any new construction activity takes place. Only then will work begin on the first buildings of the new phase. These will be the residences ‘Arcus’ and ‘Hortus’. Both buildings are adjacent to Borgerwijk Park and will accommodate 125 families. Arcus will consist of 76 spacious park flats and luxurious penthouses, while Hortus offers 49 patio flats. Each of these patio flats will have 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms and offer spacious terraces bordering the seminar gardens, the Borgerwijk Park behind or the green courtyard gardens. In the longer term, living space will be provided for a total of 230 families.

Connecting campus with surroundings

Bert Dendooven is not simply referring to a typical urban setting. The various structures (a nursing home, service flats and a pavilion for residents with disabilities) are organised as a strip next to the existing seminary building. Following the example of a new urban district, communal open spaces are also located there. The integration of external functions, such as the day nursery and the day centre, strengthens the connection between the campus and its surroundings.

Among other things, we see how the chapel and front building of the seminary are preserved and renovated. Through the infill with non-residential functions, the front building will remain the face of the site both physically and functionally. The art studio STUDIO Borgerstein will also have a new location there and concrete plans are on the table for a day nursery and a group medical practice.

Good to know is that the secondary school De MET, which is currently housed elsewhere and aims to accommodate up to 250 pupils, will also be part of Borgerwijk. The school will occupy a sports hall located under the chapel and it is envisaged that this sports hall can later be made available to neighbourhood associations.

“When we refer to a new destination, you have to take this very far”, reasons Tom Ryckaert. “Thus, the seminary building will not only receive a rejuvenation cure, but will also follow a new purpose. Think of the integration of a neighbourhood shop, a brasserie, office spaces, a doctor's surgery... These are in a unique location in a wooded park that will function as a central meeting place.”

“To sum up, you can say that from a ‘gated community’, a closed enclave with little interaction towards the neighbourhood, we are opening up everything. After the healthcare campus opened its gates, now the fence is also disappearing. This will become an open space, intended for a wide diversity of people, which will greatly improve the flow and livability of the site. A new society is emerging thanks to the interweaving of care with private residential functions at various scales and functions, making the whole place appear to have grown organically.”

Green and sustainable

The reconversion of the site is both green and sustainable. This goes far beyond the mere reuse of building materials and remediation work. For instance, it also focuses on sustainable mobility. Here, shared cars, electric charging points and bicycle parking facilities are supplemented by sufficient parking above and below ground. The site will also be softened as much as possible so that rainwater can seep into the soil or be recovered. Interesting to explore in more detail is how no fossil fuels will be used, but rather the natural heat from the ground.

“In order to make the energy balance further sustainable, geothermal energy is also used within this project”, says Bert Dendooven. “A BEO field, or Borehole Energy Storage Field, provides a pleasant indoor temperature in winter and summer via the underfloor heating. In addition to this system, heat pumps and solar panels will also be used. At the final phase with the residential flats, phase 5, energy generation will be managed in practical terms by an external party, which will sell energy to users on the basis of a kind of subscription formula.”

“The party managing this has every interest in doing so in an efficient and sustainable way”, Tom Ryckaert concludes. “Because this is a project of enormous size, it is interesting to centralise everything, so that not everyone is going to use their own heat pump. Actually, what you get here is an ESCo, a company that takes over the construction, management and maintenance of the (climate) installations of buildings. An ESCo delivers guaranteed energy savings, including financing. This is done on a cost-neutral basis, i.e. without investment costs for the property owner. An estimate is currently being made of what exactly is needed for the front building, which is still partly to be allocated, and how everything can be connected to the heat network.”

Central image © Cores