With its population growing at an annual rate of 0.13%, Flanders is only going to become more densely populated in the coming years. And, with the associated continual expansion of cities, towns and roads, the big dilemma facing the Flemish government is how to fit more and more people into less and less space.

It’s a conundrum that housing minister Marino Keulen is keen to address. His latest initiative is Wonen in Meervoud, or Living in Plural, a scheme to promote group housing projects throughout the region. “Its overall goal is to open people’s eyes to the many significant advantages of group housing,” says Keulen. “These include cost savings through economies of scale, more effective use of energy, a reduced carbon footprint and a pleasant neighbourhood – with total respect for the privacy of residents.”

Group housing takes a number of forms but basically describes residential architecture that accommodates the group rather than the unit and so is somewhat public as well as private. The apartment block is the most common form of group housing. It could also encompass the conversion of a disused factory into upmarket lofts or an old school or monastery into a co-housing project.

Community housing is another form of group housing, providing affordable rents to people on low incomes, as well as those with special needs. Examples include subsidised social housing, service apartments and the recently lauded kangaroo housing scheme in Brasschat, in which young people and the elderly live communally under one roof.

The concept of group housing is in contrast to the familiar model of plot housing. In plot housing, each owner is free to build their house on a discrete piece of developed land to their own taste, as long as they keep within the stipulated building legislation. Infrastructural facilities such as roads, drainage, electricity and water supply are provided to each individual plot.

In group housing, the idea of private ownership of land does not apply in the same way, and houses, as well as facilities, are provided co-operatively. This results in a certain amount of standardisation in house designs and types. Inevitably, every homeowner’s precise requirements may not be fully translated into the house they eventually inhabit, as common rules have to be respected. Moreover, since every house is not necessarily surrounded by a privately owned garden, there may be a loss of privacy for the individual dwelling.

The Flemish have historically valued their own patch of ground in which they reign supreme, so this loss of privacy is a potential stumbling block. But Keulen still believes that the concept of group housing will catch on in Flanders: “I am convinced it will, as long as we ensure that group housing projects pay special attention to the privacy of residents.”

Wonen in Meervoud (WIM) has been put together by a team of academics, architects, town planners and communication experts. One of the partners is the Research Group of Urban Architecture from the Catholic University of Leuven, where Professor André Loeckx thinks that the key to the success of the project is the quality of the group housing.

“Group housing has been around for years in the form of apartments,” says Loeckx. “However, although the technical quality of past group housing projects has been sufficient, the quality of life from a social point of view has frequently been inferior. What I like about the WIM initiative is that it will encourage architects to design group housing schemes as high-quality living environments that residents are proud to call home.”

Group housing could be of interest to all age ranges, from families with young children to the elderly. “Older people are selling their houses in the countryside and moving into cities or towns because of the proximity of services such as medical care, shops and transport,” explains Loeckx. “Group housing offers them an economical way to live in the city that prevents them from being socially isolated.”

Younger people with new families are also being attracted to group housing. “For too long, houses in the city have not been designed with young children in mind,” adds Loeckx. “Group housing, with its focus on providing communal, secure play areas, is an extremely attractive option for young parents wanting to live in the city.”

Another of the WIM partners is the Leuven-based architecture and planning bureau, bv bvba, where Marc Martens is keen to emphasise the many and varied benefits of group housing. “There is a significant cost benefit to someone building under a group housing project compared to an equivalent house constructed individually. Contractors like builders, plumbers, electricians and decorators can all be employed to work on a number of houses at the same time, thus driving down costs in material, labour and transport.”

The environmental benefits, too, should not be underestimated. These vary from project to project, but, thanks to common construction techniques and the use of the latest technology, group housing projects are likely to be significantly more energy efficient than individual houses.

An integral element of the campaign to promote group housing is the WIM Architectural Prize. “The objectives are to put group housing in the spotlight and to stimulate interest among architects and project developers, inspiring their creativity to design attractive, functional, environmentally-friendly group housing projects,” says Keulen.

The WIM Architectural Prize was launched during this year’s Batibouw exhibition of construction, decoration and innovation in Brussels. Architects and project developers have until 1 May to submit group housing projects that have been realised in the last 10 years. As well as meeting the requirements of group housing, they must be architecturally innovative and inspiring, and should reflect a high standard of living. The judges will also be looking at cost reductions and energy savings in the areas of insulation, lighting and the use of utilities. The winners will be announced in the summer.

The best entries in the contest will be collated into a book to be published in September. Examples of successful group housing projects from around the world will be included. The result will hopefully be inspirational to Flemings interested in putting the theory of group housing into practice.

www.woneninmeervoud.be