Have you always dreamed of knowing your neighbours and being part of a supportive community? Do you value sustainable living and meaningful connections?
Then cohousing might be the perfect fit for you. Whether you work from home, are a parent who occasionally needs a helping hand, or are enjoying retirement, you’ll always find a welcoming community around you. Cohousing combines the privacy of your own home with the benefits of shared spaces, mutual support, and everyday social interaction.
About
In Cohousing The Reef there will be 21 private units. We will also share a large common garden and some common spaces like a multi-purpose room, a guest room, a living room, a laundry room and a workshop.
The site is located at Chaussée de Jette 469-475 in Jette (openstreetmap). It is a 10-minutes walk from Simonis and Place Miroir and 10-15 minutes by bike to the city center or the forest de Laarbeek.
The Reef is a self-managed group, which means that we did not contract a project developer. Instead we choose to work together as a collaborative group. For the technical work we are in the good hands of professionals who have a lot of experience with cohousing:
- stekke + fraas: architects
- Pierre-Yves Erneux: notary
Available units
There are currently only four units left:
- 1 one-bedroom apartment: front building, first floor
- 1 two-bedroom apartment: front building, third floor
- 2 three-bedroom “maisonettes”: back building
Join us
The shortest path to join The Reef is to attend a public presentation, where we present our project in further detail.
These are the next opportunities to meet us:
- 30 June 2026 at 19:30 (Miro): Register here
- 14 July 2026 at 20:00 (Online): Register here
You will receive a confirmation by email prior to the meeting (check your spam folder if need be), but it can take a couple of days.
If you are interested to stay informed about The Reef, we recommend you subscribe to our mailing list.
Documents
The Reef is committed to open source. Our key documents are accessible and available for everyone to use freely.
A general summary of our project can be found in the slide deck that we use at our presentations.
FAQs
When can we move in?
- We are expecting the building permit before the end of 2026.
- If all goes according to plan, we will move in in early 2029.
Why did you choose English as the common language?
- We chose English because this is the language that we use among us. Most of us do speak some French or Dutch, but it doesn’t come easy to all of us.
- By choosing a language that is non-native for most people in Brussels, we figure we will level the playing field.
- When we recruit new Reeflings we will strive to compose a group such that there are no majority language groups.
Which language do you speak with the children in The Reef?
- Most children learn either French or Dutch at school or in childcare, so we naturally speak the language they feel most comfortable with — French, Dutch, or English, depending on their preference.
Why aren’t pets allowed in the common spaces?
- Pets are not allowed in the common spaces (including the garden) to enable inclusion: some people are allergic, others may be scared, and so it’s easier to have a clear agreement.
- Pets tend to be a controversial topic in many cohousings, and so it was recommended to us to not allow them at all, especially dogs. We didn’t want to go this far though, and so we agreed to just keep the common spaces pet free.
I would be interested to join but I can’t make it to the public meeting. What should I do?
- Attending the public meeting is strongly recommended.
- If you really can’t make it, send us an email or subscribe to our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed.
People
Here you can find the short bios of all of The Reef’s adults.
We also have seven mini-Reeflings who are too young to give their consent to have their picture online. They are called Marius (8), Gloria (6), Kaatje (5), Ada (4), Rémi (3), Salomé (2) and Edgar (1). Other mini-Reeflings are not so mini anymore and may make their Reefling parents proud grandparents in the near future.
Environmental policy nerd. Lover of all things authentic and absurd.
–
Web Designer with a legal background. Likes cooking for others.
–
Leadership and organisational development. Art lover.
–
Economist, ex-minor rockstar, runner.
–
Linguist and bookworm. Loves soup, cycling and company.
–
Health carer. Major plants addict. Laughter adept. Sun worshipper.
–
Caring, gardening, laughing Kiwi, with a passion for hummus.
–
Train nerd who is into cooking, sports, and outside activities. Eager to learn!
–
Feminist, book nerd, painter and swimmer. Also rollerskater -like a good 80’s child.
–
Historically compassionate vegetable.
–
Curious person who loves waking up with sunshine & coffee, reading, hiking, cycling & camping.
–
Loves manual work, marvels at the beauty of nature, adores sleeping in.
–
Forever curious; likes conversation.
–
Lifelong learner, always keen and ready for conversation and discovering what’s around me.
–
Likes facts and figures, books old and new, occasional rollercoasters.
–
Devil’s advocate, likes David Lynch movies and fresh air.
–
Liesbet
Socially committed thinker with broad interests who likes to take action.
–
Happy-excited, curious taster, procrastinator.
–
Food enjoyer, problem solver, tech enthusiast.
–
Valuing respect, continuous growth, and thoughtful connections.
–
Funny sociologist, seriously the life of the party.
–
Multipotentialist and self-taught woman who speaks six languages and passionately explores and writes about relational freedom, and living authentically.
–
Ethicist. Highly competitive during football matches.
–
Introvert on two wheels
–
Meditator who loves nature, art, cooking and sharing
–
)
Architect and cohousing nerd, lover of rivers and dinner parties
–
Stop-motion animator from Louisville, Kentucky
Contact
- Email us at cohousing@thereef.brussels
- Join our online forum
- Register to our mailing list
- Read more about how we picture The Reef in detail in the Reef’s brochure or the slide deck that we use to present our project
Follow us on social media!
Stay connected and follow our journey towards building a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable community in Brussels:
The Reef is a proud partner of
disable: [logo, category, footer, social, discourse]