Aalst’s Independent Municipal Company for Urban Development (AGSA) is the property subsidiary of Aalst’s local authority. Its core task is to set up, follow up and execute a number of strategic property projects for Aalst.

For Aalst’s town council, the redevelopment of the ‘Pupillen site’ is one of the most important and largest inner urban challenges for the next few years. This site is a unique historical and urban planning link in the heart of the town of Aalst (and in the hearts of its people). The location has great potential in various forms as a result of both its rich history and its size. The built heritage consists of numerous complexes of historical buildings that are of great historical value to Aalst, and of architecturally interesting buildings that cover several stylistic periods and are located around a number of central open spaces, each with its own character and specifications.

The principal wants to develop this site into a major project that acts as a lever for the town centre and the region.

The principal is looking for a design team that will examine the best-quality use and its development within the guidelines of the project, while taking account of financial-economic feasibility. It is a challenge to design teams to envisage the principal’s high ambitions in an equally ambitious and creative vision for the future. Candidate design teams should be very competent in research by design, must be acquainted with the dynamics of the property market and must be able to reconcile urban development, public space, architecture and heritage. In addition, the design teams must be able to mark out a strategy for the marketing of part of the project area, in combination with the development of the phasing and timing. The design teams must also take account of the stipulations of the 2013-2018 Aalst Administrative Agreement as well as the minimum sales value.

The ASGA will devise a public-private model for the reorientation and execution of the whole site.