The need for qualitative student accommodation is acute. According to the most recent ‘Kotkompas’, which assesses student housing in Flanders, there is a shortage of approx. 70,000 units . Ghent alone needs 10,000 to 12,000 new units to cope with growing demand.
Currently, Ghent has around 87,000 students. This population continues to grow year on year. It is the largest student city in Flanders, with an urgent need for more student accommodation. With this development, we want to make a contribution, reducing the shortage of student accommodation in a city where the need is particularly acute.
With The Albert, the Antwerp-based developer is responding to the acute shortage of student accommodation in Flanders’ largest student city. The hotel rooms of the former NH Hotel in Koning Albertlaan are being converted into 88 student rooms with floor areas in the range of 12 and 18 sqm, some with private bathrooms and 22 studios (22 sqm each) with their own bathrooms and kitchenettes.
Behind the historic Beaux Arts façade, which will be restored, various student facilities will be available. The Albert will have meeting areas where students can unwind, a shared laundry, and underground bike parking for 116 bicycles. The studios have their own kitchenettes. The other students can cook up a storm in shared high-end kitchens.
Today, students are looking for more than a place to sleep. With The Albert, we are creating new student accommodation, in addition to a community where students can feel at home.
The Albert is strategically located between Gent-Sint-Pieters Station - within walking distance - and the city centre. The tram stops right in front of the door and 10 campuses belonging to Ghent University and Hogeschool Gent, among others, are all just a 10-minute bike ride away. Attractions like the Overpoort, De Bijloke music centre and De Blaarmeersen are within walking or cycling distance.
Construction of The Albert will commence in August 2025 with completion of the units scheduled for August 2027. Student rooms start at €165,000, for a fully finished unit with bespoke furniture. The sale is subject to VAT (21% on construction) and 12% registration fees on the land share. If all goes according to plan, the first students will be able to move in at the start of the academic year in 2027.
CIB, the association of real estate professionals, has stressed the structural shortage of rental properties for several years already, but recently a historic low was recorded. Financial daily De Tijd remarked that; Anyone who advertises a high-end dwelling online can expect to get dozens and even hundreds of enquiries within 24 hours; in the wake of the publication of the latest rental barometer.
Anyone who has read our case study on SME real estate will know that industrial land is becoming increasingly scarce. Available sites often have an industrial past. The site in Halle, where the outline of De Stokerij will soon become visible, was no different in this respect. With 41 SME units in six buildings, this business park ticks all the boxes for entrepreneurs looking for a strategic location. The flexible units (106 to 390 m², clear height 6.5 m) are suited to a wide range of activities, from warehouse to showroom or workshop. Besides being a home base for entrepreneurs, De Stokerij also has a positive impact on the surrounding area and the environment.