We are a group of people building a cohousing in Brussels. We have purchased a site in Chaussée de Jette, and are now moving to complete the group, obtain a building permit and start construction. We are still looking for about 7 singles and families to join the project.

The Reef’s foundational values are sustainability, diversity and hospitality.

In The Reef, each household will have its own private apartment. We will also share a number of common spaces such as a garden, a coworking space, a guest room, a common living room etc. Privacy will be an important value too. Participation in communal activities will never be mandatory.

We want The Reef to be a place of hospitality and a place where people from the neighbourhood can meet up and set up activities.

Learn more

The Reef is also a self-managed project. We have not contracted a project developer. Instead, we chose to work together as a collaborative group. Every household is expected to actively contribute to making The Reef work. Building a cohousing as a self-managed group is a lengthy process, but it is well worth it.

We did contract professionals with technical expertise and experience of building cohousings in Brussels. We work with the Brussels architects' studio Stekke and Fraas, helped in turn by several engineering firms for stability calculations, energy efficiency and technical infrastructure. Pierre-Yves Erneux is our notary. Our coach, Mark Van den Dries, helps us work together as efficiently as possible.

Learn more

We have purchased a site located in Chaussée de Jette, numbers 469-475 (openstreetmap). The street is low-traffic, but the neighbourhood itself is lively and well-served by shops and services. Parc Elisabeth and the Simonis and Belgica metro stations are less than a 10-minutes walk away.

We plan to build 22 units, plus about 180 square meters of common spaces, and to leave 1,000 square meters for the common garden. The common spaces are the main asset of a cohousing. Sharing some spaces such as a garden, a guest room or a coworking space makes it possible to live in smaller (hence cheaper) private units without losing any comfort.

More about the Chaussée de Jette site - download

The units still available are listed below.

Learn more on the available units.

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:

• Thursday 03 July at 17:30 pm in Cohousing Brutopia in Forest: registration form

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.

Learn more

The Reef is committed to open source. Our key documents are accessible and available for everyone to use freely.

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 of the mini-Reeflings learn French in the creche or at school, and so we will mostly speak French with them (or English of course if that is what they prefer).

When can we move in?

• On 3 June 2024 we have secured the Jette plot. If all goes according to plan, we will move in in 2028.
• We are now in the stage of enlarging the group and preparing a detailed project for the cohousing. After that we will start construction.

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.

Is there a more complete description of The Reef as you imagine it now?

Yes, it's here.

Here you can find the short bios of all of The Reef's adults.

We also have five mini-Reeflings who are too young to give their consent to have their picture online. They are called Marius (8), Gloria (6), Ada (4), Salome (2) and Edgar (1). Other mini-Reeflings are not so mini anymore and may make their Reefling parents proud grandparents in the near future.

• 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:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Meetup

The Reef is a proud partner of

--