Het Scoutshuis
Offices , Public buildings
Transformation of a generic office building into a collective and flexible house for Scouts en Gidsen Vlaanderen. Through minimal intervention, an open structure is created that supports encounter and shared use.
The Scoutshuis is the new headquarters of Scouts en Gidsen Vlaanderen. An existing office building has been converted into a public building, accommodating offices, a youth hostel, meeting spaces for members and external organisations, the Hopper shop, and a caretaker’s residence.
The renovation builds on the existing structure and is carried out with limited means. The original circulation core is retained. Targeted interventions — such as the insertion of new window openings — transform the previously enclosed fire escape into an open, daylit staircase.
At strategic points, floors are connected through circular voids and spiral staircases. These interventions introduce informal meeting spaces where the building’s different users intersect.
A new timber structure is added. Along Wilrijkstraat, it marks the entrance and acts as the public façade. On the end wall, the structure develops into a lookout tower with terraces.
The interior is deliberately open and adaptable. Like a campsite, users can organise the spaces themselves. Furniture and layouts remain flexible, and meeting rooms can be freely configured. Floors and walls are finished in pine plywood, establishing a consistent and robust material language.
A shared garden is located on the roof of the underground car park, providing a green meeting space for all users.
