Historic Van Besouw factory site converted into modern residential neighborhood

Van Besouw is a brand new residential neighborhood adjacent to the center of Goirle, complete with historical elements of the former factory site. The Nederlandse Bouw Unie (NBU) instantly fell in love with the location and ventured to develop it. Owner and director Jan Voesenek and project developer Ludo Peeters talk about this long-term project.

"Developing and building, that's where the strength of Nederlandse Bouw Unie lies," says Voesenek. "In projects involving historical heritage and complicated tasks, the knowledge of the construction company comes in handy. Development is one thing, but financial feasibility is just as important." 

"The genesis of this development is quite extraordinary," Peeters explains. "You pass by a beautiful site, and then the cogs start turning. The location is on the outskirts of Goirle, right against the nature reserve, and borders the center on the other side. Wonderful!" Voesenek adds: "Then of course you enter into talks with the municipality of Goirle. If we acquire this site, will we be allowed to develop and build housing?"

Of the long haul

NBU bought the site in Goirle back in 2008, but starting construction immediately was not in the cards. "In fact, on second thoughts, the municipality had other priorities, which put the Van Besouw site on hold. However, the economic crisis accelerated the housing development on the Van Besouw site." 

The site first housed a factory specializing in making floor coverings for the aircraft industry, among others. "Only in 2019 did we start demolishing the factory buildings, but not everything was allowed to go. That was the second challenge of this project," Peeters says. "In consultation with the municipality of Goirle, we determined that the old facades of the office building, the porter's lodge, the chimney and the Battery & Pump Building should be preserved. In this way, the history of this place continues to live on."

Factory at the heart

Preserving that history has served NBU well, because along with the urban design, the neighborhood still breathes factory grounds along all sides. "A good example of this is the preserved access road to the site, with robust row houses on either side with an industrial character like the old factory buildings. The street flows into the factory square, where the renovated factory chimney stands," Peeters says. "The Battery & Pump Building was a challenge in itself," says Voesenek. "The old masonry was full of cracks and the concrete structure of the building was so bad that the building could not be saved. In consultation with the municipality of Goirle, we demolished the building. We rebuilt it as a replica, according to current building standards and regulations. The characteristic narrow high window sections and yellow facade brick are back." 

Sustainable new style

Sustainability is central to the entire project, but in a special way. "For example, we make sure that all the rainwater that falls in the neighborhood is drained above ground to the storage facilities in the area. All the wadis in the neighborhood are connected to each other, so excess water always ends up where it needs to be. And if the wadis are really full, we still have a storage pond, or the new Ley on which to discharge. We haven't built this sustainably before!"