Heerweg Housing by WE-S architecten

A Contemporary Interpretation of Village Living in Gent, Belgium

Architects: WE-S architecten 

Project Overview

The Heerweg Housing project by WE-S architecten redefines suburban housing with a thoughtful balance between individual homes and collective living. Located in Gent, Belgium, this residential development comprises 28 housing units distributed across two compact building volumes positioned strategically at both edges of the site. With a total built area of 3,598 m², the project exemplifies how architectural design can bridge urban density and rural character.

Design Concept: From Village Typologies to Collective Courtyards

The design takes cues from the existing semi-open building fabric along the street, extending it into the new development. Each building block contains a mix of duplex houses and apartments, maintaining a low-rise, human-scaled atmosphere.

The project unfolds in multiple phases:

STEP 1: Street Alignment & Semi-Open Housing

The site continues the pattern of semi-open houses lining Heerweg Zuid, each accompanied by private front and back gardens.

STEP 2: Side-Oriented Dwellings

These homes are side-oriented, placing emphasis on the front garden as a key interface with the street and neighbors.

STEP 3: Courtyard Apartments

The rear open spaces are activated by placing apartments around a shared, covered courtyard, encouraging interaction and shared ownership of space.

STEP 4: Rotated Volumes & Individual Access

The architects rotated both volumes 90 degrees to provide ground-floor duplexes with individual street-facing entrances while apartments are accessed via a communal entrance hall.

STEP 5: Double-Height "Living Room"

At the core of each building is a shared double-height living space, described as a communal “living room,” that brings natural daylight deep into the building and fosters neighborhood interaction.

STEP 6: Integration with Landscape

Organizing the homes in two compact masses allows for an expansive 30-meter-wide green zone at the site’s center. This space opens toward the adjacent forest, and is framed by a landscape grid inspired by the site's agricultural history—canals, meadows, hedgerows, and tree rows. Each private garden merges into the shared outdoor space, dissolving boundaries between individual and communal areas.

A Scaled-Up Villa Typology

Instead of creating repetitive, stacked apartment floors, WE-S architecten envisioned each volume as a scaled-up villa, where the architectural expression and living experience echo the charm of country homes. This reinterpretation of the multi-family housing typology allows for variety, spatial richness, and community cohesion within a relatively compact footprint.

The resulting design succeeds in blending density with openness, privacy with collectivity, and modern living with rural character—creating a model for future suburban development.

Sustainable & Material Strategy

The project's external wall insulation system (StoTherm) and plaster façade finishes by Sto ensure thermal efficiency, durability, and a cohesive material palette. The soft textures and neutral tones complement the landscape and foster a sense of calm continuity across the site

The Heerweg Housing project is a thoughtful exploration of contemporary residential design that respects traditional spatial patterns while introducing innovative communal solutions. By combining individual entryways, shared courtyards, landscape integration, and sustainable construction, WE-S architecten delivers a compelling blueprint for future-proof urban housing in a suburban context.