Student rooms booming business in Brussels
Several Flemish developers are buying up properties in Brussels to open student accommodation, but the capital’s Dutch-speaking student service says they don’t always have the need of the modern student in mind
9,000 units needed
According to the newspaper, the Antwerp company Studentlife has bought the former Leonidas chocolate factory in Brussels to install students apartments and studios. The same company is also transforming the former Flemish theatre Arte and buildings next to it, situated opposite the Royal Flemish Theatre (KVS), into a complex of 95 student flats.
Flemish project developer Allfin is working on large-scale projects in Brussels, having just finished the student residence Don Giovanni. It has also bought the former headquarters of Solvay in the Elsene district to install about 100 student rooms.
More developers based in Flanders, including Burco, Urban Living and Upgrade Estate, have purchased property in Brussels for students accommodation. Upgrade Estate, which manages various student residences in Ghent, is renovating a former Western Union office building to provide more than 200 student rooms.
The developers are responding to the shortage of student housing in the city. According to Brik, the capital’s Dutch-speaking student services, there is a shortage of 9,000 student rooms.
Brussels counts about 90,000 students, while only 12,000 student rooms are available. About two-thirds of the students commute, partly as a result of the shortage of accommodation. Research also showed that one-third of the students who stay in Brussels rents apartments or houses together with fellow students.
Brik director Koen Van Ryckeghem is concerned, however, that the new accommodations will be too expensive for students. He also sees a lack of vision on the part of the developers. “They sometimes just put up a complex of units, which can be rented by anyone,” he said. “Apart from students, expats and trainees are also target groups.”
For Brik, it’s important that student residences are situated close to a campus and public transport but also near bars and cultural services so that the students develop a connection with the city. There should also be, said Van Ryckeghem, common areas in the building. “Today’s students want a community spirit, common kitchens and relaxation spaces. Shared is in.”
Photo courtesy Erasmus Hogeschool
