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Meyboom
Meyboom
Location
Brussels
Project type
Student housing
Project status
In development
Meyboom
Building on history, investing in the future
Welcome to Meyboom, a unique student residence in the heart of Brussels.
After standing empty for more than ten years, the former headquarters of Société Générale des Minérais is being given a new lease of life. Thanks to the collaboration between ION and Belfius Immo, this historic building is being transformed into a sustainable student residence with a 15-year guaranteed lease through UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles.
Brussels now has more than 137,000 students, but the shortage of student rooms exceeds 10,000 and is still rising every year. Meyboom offers a future-oriented answer to this growing demand: modern rooms and studios in a beautifully restored building, fully owned and with guaranteed income from day one.
Units
220
Address
Rue des Sables 1 - 1000 Brussels
Architects
LOW Architects
Partners
Belfius IMMO & UCLouvain Université Saint Louis
Prime location
In the heart of Brussels' pentagon, surrounded by universities, shops, and culture. UCLouvain Saint-Louis is 250 meters away, with KU Leuven, Odisee, and LUCA nearby. Everything students need—to study, relax, and enjoy themselves—is within easy reach.
Leased to UCLouvain
The entire building has been leased to UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles for 15 years. Investors enjoy guaranteed, indexed rental income from day one. Professional management ensures worry-free returns.
Historic building
A historic building dating from 1898, carefully restored while retaining its character. The authentic facades and high ceilings remain, while the interior is completely renovated. This gives Brussels' history a sustainable future.
A future-oriented renovation project in the heart of Brussels
Meyboom is repurposing a stately building from 1898 on Zandstraat into a modern student residence with 220 residential units. The site comprises student rooms ranging from 18 to 26 m² and studios ranging from 25 to 47 m², all with private bathrooms and high-quality finishes.
The residence has 775 m² of communal areas, including kitchens, study rooms, and lounges, complemented by a green courtyard garden and a roof terrace with views over Brussels.
Thanks to the design by LOW Architects, the historic character of the building has been preserved, while fully complying with current standards of comfort, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Meyboom combines history with contemporary functionality—a place where students can live, learn, and socialize in an inspiring environment.
Where history gets a future
The building on the corner of Zandstraat and Broekstraat exudes history. The stately facades are being carefully restored, while inside there is space for light, high-ceilinged rooms with plenty of daylight and contemporary comfort. A covered atrium makes way for an open courtyard garden – a green lung in the middle of the city.
Here, the past and the future meet: students live, study, and thrive in an inspiring environment that brings history and the future together.
Here, the past and the future meet: students live, study, and thrive in an inspiring environment that brings history and the future together.
Meyboom in numbers
- 219 student rooms and 1 caretaker's flat
- Student rooms measuring 18–26 m²
- Studios measuring 25–47 m²
- All rooms and studios equipped with private bathroom facilities
- 775 m² of communal areas
- Green courtyard garden and roof terrace with views over Brussels
- Secure bicycle storage and full-time caretaker for maintenance
A worry-free investment with guaranteed stability
Meyboom is the result of a long-term collaboration between ION, Belfius Immo and UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles. The project illustrates how history, urban development and higher education can reinforce each other. By focusing on long-term rentals and professional management, a model has been created that benefits both the city and its students.
Rental with certainty
The entire building has been leased for 15 years to UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles, a university with more than 4,500 students and part of the KU Leuven network. This collaboration not only provides continuity for the university, but also guarantees that the building will be used sustainably by the target group for which it was designed. The partnership underlines the shared ambition to create high-quality student accommodation in the heart of Brussels.
Professional and sustainable management
Meyboom is managed with the same care and expertise that ION and Belfius Immo apply to each of their projects. All operational and administrative tasks are centralised, ensuring that the building is operated efficiently, transparently and sustainably. Meyboom thus remains a model of collaboration, where quality, reliability and social added value go hand in hand.
What was once a symbol of industrial grandeur is now being given a new lease of life as a modern student residence. The stately façades have been preserved, but behind those historic walls lies a contemporary and sustainable living concept. Old structures make way for light, openness and connection. In this way, history remains visible, while the building adapts to the needs of a new generation. Meyboom brings the past and the future together in a single story of renewal and respect.
A partnership built on trust and shared vision
The redevelopment of Meyboom is the result of a strong collaboration between ION and Belfius Immo. Both partners share the same conviction: that urban renewal is only truly sustainable when it respects the past and creates a future for people. With Meyboom, they are combining their expertise to give a historic building a new social role in the heart of Brussels.
ION contributes its experience in project development, architectural quality and sustainable construction, with a keen eye for detail and functionality.
Belfius Immo reinforces this with its many years of knowledge of social real estate and financial structure, making the project not only aesthetically and technically strong, but also economically robust. Together, they demonstrate how public-private partnerships can lead to projects that create economic, social and cultural value at the same time.
This joint approach results in an innovative residential concept that connects heritage with education, sustainability and urban liveability. Meyboom is therefore more than a renovation project: it is an example of how complementary partners are helping to shape the city of tomorrow, with respect for what was and confidence in what is to come.
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