Toontjeshuis

The Toontjeshuis project involves the restoration and adaptive reuse of a historic convent within the Small Beguinage Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Hoyen in Ghent — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved beguinages dating from before the French Revolution. The project combines heritage with social housing, creating a calm, low-stimulus environment with 15 residential units for adults with disabilities.

Following an extensive design and build team trajectory, a shared vision was developed in which preservation through thoughtful reuse is central. Interventions are grounded in a thorough understanding of the building’s historical layers and its wider context.

B-juxta is responsible for the restoration component of the project, building on longstanding involvement in the phased conservation of the beguinage. This accumulated expertise informs a careful and considered approach, aimed at safeguarding the site’s heritage value.

The convent — composed of multiple construction phases dating from the 17th to the 19th century — is approached as a coherent whole, with respect for its historical evolution. Interventions focus on restoring and clarifying existing structures, while subtly integrating contemporary living standards.

In close collaboration with the client, designers and construction partners, the project works towards a sustainable future for the site — one that resonates with the beguinage’s original ethos of collective living and social care.