Famous Ghent building gets renovation permit it did not request

The city of Ghent has approved replacing the well-known facade of the VOKA building with flower boxes with geraniums. But the employer's organisation itself did not ask for the permit: it was an action by a group pleading for more green in the city.

The VOKA building in Ghent features one of the most unique looks in the Flemish city, with white beams criss-crossing its facade. But employees of the organisation were surprised when they recently received a letter by the city, stating that a demand to replace the facade with flower boxes was approved.

The application came from an action group campaigning for more greenery in the city and, despite the lack of permission from the owner, was officially approved by the city council on 27 March. It allowed for the removal of the existing structure and the installation of flower boxes under the windows.

"Kafkaesque"

In an opinion piece published by Het Nieuwsblad on Wednesday, VOKA CEO Geert Moerman called the situation “Kafkaesque”. Everything was done according to the rules, with advice from the fire brigade and De Vlaamse Waterweg. VOKA was only informed when a yellow permit poster appeared on the facade, Moerman writes.

According to the CEO, the activists abused the law. He also accused the civil servants involved of sympathising with the activists, and said he has filed a complaint against the architects involved. Ghent alderman for Urban Development Christophe Peeters also questioned the architects' ethics.

Artistic project

The action was part of the artistic project “Bouwaanvraag” (Building Permit) in Ghent. It was supported by Flanders and Ghent University. City architect Peter Vanden Abeele, who was tangentially involved in the project, told VRT he found the questions surrounding ethics remarkable.

"It is not unusual for applications to be made without the owner's knowledge. This happens, for example, when developers have plans for land owned by others. There is no obligation for them to be carried out," Vanden Abeele explained.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO PHILIPPE FRANCOIS}