Year
Location
Type
Status
Collaborator(s)

2026
Eeklo, Belgium
Social housing
Design phase
Desert Office, Aboubakar Islamov, Ibragim Movtaev, Matthieu Spicher

Located at the edge of Eeklo's Hartwijk district, this competition proposal introduces ten new social housing units while strengthening the relationship between the neighbourhood and the adjacent park landscape. Rather than maximising the built footprint, the project prioritises open space, creating a sequence of collective and private outdoor environments that contribute to the quality of both the street and the wider neighbourhood.

The development is organised as two compact building volumes that frame a series of interconnected green spaces. At the corner where both volumes meet, the built mass is deliberately withdrawn to create an open public living space along the Cocquytstraat. In a street characterised by its narrow profile, this intervention introduces light, openness and a place for informal encounters between residents and neighbours. Framed by brick walls incorporating seating elements and planting, the space acts as a gateway to the park beyond.

Behind the buildings, a semi-public courtyard forms the heart of the project. Winding paths, native planting and communal amenities encourage interaction while maintaining a clear balance between collective and private domains. The private gardens are directly connected to the courtyard, creating a gradual transition between dwelling and landscape.

The landscape strategy draws inspiration from the ecological identity of Eeklo and its surrounding sandy landscapes. Native trees, naturalistic planting and permeable surfaces reinforce biodiversity, improve water infiltration and establish a robust green framework that can evolve over time.

Through a careful integration of housing, landscape and public space, the project seeks to create more than a residential development. It proposes a new piece of neighbourhood: a place where living, meeting and nature become inseparable parts of everyday life.

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