- Project: Laathof 44 Social Houses
- Architect: PLUSOFFICE
- Location: Belgium, Westerlo
- Year: 2021
- Area: 4026 m2
- Photography: Pieter Rabijns
Re-imagining Social Housing in Westerlo
On the edge of Westerlo, PLUSOFFICE Architects approached social housing not as a compromise but as a moment for design innovation. The Laathof 44 neighbourhood brings 44 dwellings into a unified master-plan that respects individual expression, supports sustainability and creates community. What might have been generic has instead become distinct, rooted, and future-facing.
Urban Strategy & Site Logic
The site sits adjacent to a flood-prone zone of the Wimp river, prompting the team to treat the public space as an active “water machine”: infiltration zones, buffering landscapes and rain-water management are integral, not hidden. The housing blocks are arranged along a main avenue that avoids dead-ends, ensuring connectivity and future extensibility. The development blends housing types—courtyard clusters, terraced rows, stacked units—so as to serve starters, families, seniors and multifamily households.
Architectural Identity & Materiality
Visually, the development draws from the regional vernacular: red brick façades, red-tile pitched roofs, yet it re-interprets them in a contemporary language. Alternate volumes are rendered in white metal and concrete, shifting between unity and variety. The roofscape undulates; façade lines recess or project; each home retains recognisability as an individual address while belonging to the ensemble.
Inside, the houses offer flexibility. External terraces, generous gardens or shared green courts allow occupants to inhabit green space; shared parking and bicycle storage anticipate mobility shifts.
Sustainability & Systems Thinking
Laathof 44 doesn’t simply talk about sustainability—it embeds systems. A smart local heat network supplies the terraced homes from a combined heat and power (CHP) unit; courtyard homes use heat-pumps driven by residual electricity from the CHP. Solar boilers serve all hot-water needs. The compact building footprint frees up space for greenery and water-management. In this sense, architecture, landscape and infrastructure become one.
Why the Project Matters
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It showcases social housing that is generous in design, not just cost-driven.
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It merges individual expression with architectural coherence—a delicate balance often missed in large housing developments.
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It embeds environmental strategy into public realm, roofs and façades—not as an add-on, but as the basis of the project.
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Its material palette anchors the project in place while allowing a modern reinterpretation—a useful model for housing developments in smaller European towns.
Laathof 44 by PLUSOFFICE Architects is more than 44 homes—it is a thoughtful neighbourhood built to last, designed to belong. In its blend of site-smart strategy, material clarity and architectural empathy, it sets a new benchmark for social housing in Belgium and beyond.
