he event took place at the Predikheren, a renovated 17th-century monastery that now serves as a library and community hub - an inspiring location that reflects Mechelen’s commitment to combining heritage preservation with sustainability.

The first day began with a welcome session and an overview of the Flemish transition strategy presented by Brigitte Mouligneau, Transition Manager at Flanders Circular. She outlined the region’s structured model toward circularity, including progress made and ambitions ahead—offering an internal reflection rarely discussed outside the region.

This was followed by a presentation from KU Leuven researcher Jesse Foster Honsa, who shared findings from the Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship circular living lab. The impaC³t project, which is part of the Living Labs framework, aims to test and accelerate the application of circular building solutions in collective urban renewal projects in Flanders. This explored how densification and more efficient use of existing residential areas can reduce environmental impact. The research emphasized the pressing need to improve housing occupancy and floor space efficiency in Flanders, particularly in light of environmental targets for 2050.

Eva Neefs from the City of Mechelen, presented the city’s ongoing efforts to integrate circular strategies into the built environment. She shared local initiatives, including material reuse and waste reduction practices. A heritage walk through Mechelen illustrated these principles in practice, featuring standout redevelopment projects such as the Lamot brewery, the Sint-Martinus church hotel, and the Lumiere city cinema. The visit gave a vivid sense of how historic identity and modern circularity can reinforce one another.
 

Participants travelled to Sint-Niklaas, in order to explore the COCON project - a leading example of circular construction built on a former industrial site. Guided by the architect Tomas Ooms and Yoko Van Praet from the city of Sint-Niklaas, participants learned how COCON prioritizes the reuse of existing materials and embraces a raw, flexible design. Notable features included repurposed ventilation systems from a hospital and a creative mix of steel window frames, showcasing practical ways to avoid construction waste. The project has also evolved into a hub for social and circular entrepreneurship. By aligning physical infrastructure with a supportive ecosystem, COCON promotes community-driven innovation and local sustainable business development.

Participants left with concrete strategies, inspiration from real-world projects, and a stronger impression of how circular construction can be locally rooted yet widely replicable. The meeting reinforced the importance of adaptive reuse, stakeholder collaboration, and spatial innovation as tools for climate resilience and sustainable development.