Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Mayor Emir Kir and Brussels Secretary of State for Urban Planning Audrey Henry on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the former Gesù Convent opposite the Botanical Garden in Brussels.
This marked the launch of the main construction phase of the Royal Botanic Project.
The mixed-use development, which will also include a hotel, is expected to welcome its first residents by the end of 2027.
Royal Botanic will transform the former Gesù site, next to the Gesù Church and close to Brussels city centre. Initial demolition works began in 2023, followed by further dismantling of the site, excavations and foundation works for three buildings.
Working with design architects DDS+ and executive architects Jaspers-Eyers, the developers are turning the site into a sustainable, fossil-free project covering about 15,000 m2.
The reconstructed neoclassical corner building on Rue Royale and a new building on Rue de l’Étoile will house 57 flats ranging from 60 m2 to 150 m2.
The former convent itself will be converted into a YUST hotel, with 49 hostel and hotel rooms, 90 co-living flats, as well as a restaurant, bar and co-working spaces.
The structural works on the three buildings are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027. Facades and outer shells will then be finished so that the buildings are weatherproof by mid-2027.
The full completion of the three buildings is scheduled for Autumn 2027.
Kir said the project marked a major step in the revival of the area around the Botanical Garden.
“Where a neglected site stood three years ago, we now see the outlines of a new, vibrant place emerging in the heart of our municipality,” he said. “This project is a real catalyst for the revival of the neighbourhood around the Botanical Garden and its positive momentum will radiate across Saint-Josse-ten-Noode.”
Henry said the development represented a model for the city of the future by combining housing, co-living, retail and hospitality in a greener and redesigned setting.
“Tomorrow, Brussels residents will be able to live there, meet one another, work there or simply spend time there, helping to strengthen the vitality of this district,” she said.
Johan Vandendriessche and Thibaut De Vos of VDD Project Development said that, together with REDET, YUST and contractors Louis De Waele and Willemen Bouw, the project would bring together heritage, architecture and contemporary urban life.
