Heldergemstraat

This project responds to the need for high-quality, small-scale housing within a village context, combining comfortable living with a strong relationship to the surrounding landscape. It comprises 13 social housing units, carefully designed to integrate into the existing fabric of Heldergemstraat in Haaltert.
Located along a residential street with a mix of single-family homes and small apartment buildings, the site benefits from a unique position with open agricultural land at the rear. This condition allows the project to balance a clear street presence with a generous, green outdoor space.
Although conceived as one building, the project is articulated into five interconnected volumes. By subtly shifting these volumes forward and backward, the overall scale is reduced, and the impression of individual houses is created, echoing the rhythm and grain of the street.
All dwellings have their entrance on the street side, maintaining the existing pattern and reinforcing the connection to the public realm. The building consists of three levels, with the upper floor set back to limit its visual impact and ensure a smooth integration with the neighbouring buildings.
The project combines ground-based dwellings with private gardens and duplex apartments above; each provided with a terrace or balcony. At the rear, parking is organised out of sight and accessed through a passage within the building, which also connects to a shared green garden and collective facilities.
The façades are executed in brick, with subtle variations in colour and bonding to distinguish the five volumes. Together, they form a coherent whole that reads as a sequence of smaller buildings, embedded in the village context.