Bruges (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): The old administrative building in Bruges is being converted into residential spaces by new owners, abandoning David Chipperfield’s mixed-use plan for 26 apartments, shops, and cultural areas due to permit issues. The city council is aware of this change, which aims to meet high housing demand.
The old administrative building in the city center is being changed a lot because of new owners who want to turn it into a residential project. This is different from the previous owner’s plan, which aimed to create a mixed-use space with homes, shops, and possibly cultural areas. That plan was designed by famous architect David Chipperfield, who focused on making the building fit nicely into the city with a modern look. But now, with the new owners, those mixed-use ideas will not happen.
What will happen to Bruge’s old administrative building now?
The new owner is only focusing on making homes in the building because there is a high demand for housing in city centers. Although they haven’t shared specific details about the project yet, it will likely include nice features and community spaces for the people living there. This change could improve the number of homes available in the city center and change how people live in urban areas, following the trend of more residential developments in cities.
It has been said that David Chipperfield had big plans for the old administrative building, wanting to turn it into a lively space with 26 apartments and areas for art, work, and dining, including a restaurant with a rooftop terrace. His goal was to create a vibrant place for people to enjoy art and food together. However, the project faced a big problem when it couldn’t get the necessary environmental permit. Because of this setback, the building was sold to a new owner who decided not to follow Chipperfield’s mixed-use plan anymore. Instead, the new owner wants to make it only for living spaces, probably because there’s a high demand for housing in cities and they want to simplify the building process.
The Bruges city council just found out that the building has been sold. Franky Demon said it’s now up to the new owner to suggest what to do with it, but they plan to make it only for living spaces. Right now, the building is rented to a youth cultural center called Het Entrepot, which provides studios for artists. The new owner took over the lease, which ends this year, but Mathis Goderis hopes they can keep renting it longer.
