reconversion Lumat warehouse

The Lumat site, an outdated warehouse near the Sint-Pieters station in Gent (Belgium), was owned by the public railway company NMBS and put up for sale in a tendering procedure. In order to make a substantiated bid, a real estate developer sought support in analyzing the potential of the project site. The high target price from NMBS meant that it was not easy to design a viable project without losing the intrinsic qualities of the spatial implementation plan (RUP). After a site visit and a brief investigation of the urban area, we conducted an initial scenario analysis for the reconversion of the city block. Together with the developer’s acquisition team, we determined the mix of target groups and the most suitable real estate products. We also looked for the right examples of innovative residential projects that can create a high-quality living environment and attractive semi-public space within a limited, high-density urban area. For example, we formulated a number of proposals to open up the old warehouse structure and reuse it as a green backbone. We also provided advice on the integration of these alternative scenarios into the current spatial implementation plan (RUP).