The growth of Leuven’s student population continues unabated, year on year. This academic year, KU Leuven already has over 50,000 students in the city. The UCLL university of applied sciences has recorded more than 12,000 enrolments for the first time in its history. The nearby healthcare programmes of the UCLL are booming in particular, with a 20% increase in first-year enrolments. Alongside this explosive growth, demand for high-quality student housing is also on the rise, with today’s students setting higher and more specific demands in terms of living comfort.
This combination has placed unprecedented pressure on Leuven’s student housing market, with forecasts suggesting a shortage of at least 4,000 student rooms in Leuven by 2026.
Antwerp-based property developer Antonissen Development is seeking to provide a response to the shortage in student housing with its Vogelzang development. The vacant wing of a nursing home is being repurposed as student accommodation. The building, which will be completely renovated, will have 84 student rooms after the addition of another floor, with 42 comfort rooms with an own washbasin and 42 deluxe rooms with an en-suite bathroom. Students will also have access to nine shared kitchens, a meeting space, a laundry room, and 96 bicycle parking spaces.
Thanks to a structural partnership with KU Leuven, 20% of student accommodation in Leuven falls under the SWO scheme. This means that these units will be let at a fixed, maximum price, ensuring that a wider group of students can afford them. What makes Vogelzang so unique is the physical and social connection with the existing nursing home. Students and seniors will share a 1,160-sqm courtyard garden. This intergenerational aspect was part of the design brief for this outdoor space.
The Vogelzang site will become an intergenerational meeting place. The shared courtyard garden encourages spontaneous meetings between young people and senior residents because it is so accessible. This principle is extended in the restaurant, where students and neighbourhood residents can eat a moderately-priced meal. That way, young people and seniors can connect every day.
With Vogelzang, Antonissen is also responding to an interesting evolution among students, namely the disconnect to reconnect trend. The Student Housing Monitor (2024) of Steunpunt Wonen confirms this trend: almost half of students surveyed are looking for a quiet neighbourhood (45%) with 35% preferring a more verdant setting.
This generation of students increasingly values peace and quiet, qualitative space, and green surroundings, away from the busy city centre, which is just a 10-minute journey by bike. In view of Vogelzang’s location close to the UCLL and Campus Gasthuisberg, this development partly caters to students in healthcare programmes, for whom the proximity of the nursing home may provide an added, meaningful dimension.
This development shows how you can create a genuine win-win situation for everyone involved with well-thought-through design,” says the property developer. “The city’s student housing shortage is partly resolved, the vacant wing of the nursing home is repurposed in a meaningful way, and students get high-quality housing in a prime location.”
A professional property manager will oversee the rental and maintenance, and will engage with the student community to facilitate community building. Sales of the student rooms will start in April. Launch prices, including furniture, start at €172,000 for a comfort room with a washbasin and €202,000 for a luxury room with an en-suite bathroom. The SWO price for a comfort room is €139,000. All prices are exclusive of VAT and costs. Construction is set to commence around the turn of the year, after which the students are expected to move in in the summer of 2028, just in time for the 2028-2029 academic year.
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.