On 14 January 2023 around 18 Reeflings got the opportunity to visit The Spiegel, rue des Wallons 30, 1090, Jette. We were also lucky enough to be able to visit 3 people’s private homes. Here’s a quick report on the main points and things we learned.
Feel free to integrate, review, add your thoughts and impressions in the thread below!
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Roadmap:
- 2015:
- 4/5 couples started this amazing adventure, 1 couple already living in this neighbourhood and played the role of “ambassadors”
- They found this area using a specific website more for ex-industrial areas, it was on sale already from 3 years
- 2 conditions to proceed:
- The Commune de Jette to reclassify from industrial to residential status
- Cleaning up polluted area
- 2018:
- The site was compliant with the two conditions above.
- They bought and paid for the site
- They started looking for an entrepreneur, not easy to find one. It took one year to have one.
- 2022:
- First Families
- 2023:
- The Spiegel is complete at 12 units
- 2015:
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The Building:
- Common areas
- Internal Parking spots
- Kitchen/common room
- Bicibox (in progress)
- ?
- Passive building
- Solar panels
- Heat pump
- Private units: studios (around 50 m2), apartments and duplex
- Every unit has one balcony or terrace
- At that time they receive a monetary incentives from the government (according to @Lee: 250 EUR x m2. This subsidy is no longer in place, sadly).
- Soundproof of the apartments is not good as expected in some units → acoustic insulation is an important aspect we need to address well for the Reef
- Common areas
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How they collaborate:
- They are using some inputs/best practices from sociocracy, especially for nonverbal communication, but in general are really flexible and open
- They never had to vote
- Monthly meeting
- Division in groups: communication/engagement/gardening/external relationships/maintenance
- They are using some inputs/best practices from sociocracy, especially for nonverbal communication, but in general are really flexible and open