Victoria - Loft Story

For updated info and more photos, see the French version

More pictures : click here

This could have been a nice loft project. Could have been ...

The renovation of the former biscuits and chocolate factory Victoria - street « de Neck » and street « des Archers » in Koekelberg, Brussel, and their transformation into around 100 lofts. A project from the Hollanders Maarten R. Van Dijk et Carel-E. van Asbeck, throug their company Belgium International Properties (commercial name : Victorialofts.com)

 Two parts for the project:

• Renovation of the old bulding. Works under the responsibility of the loft owners' association
• Construction of a new bulding on the street «des Archers». Works under the responsibility of Maarten R. Van Dijk and Carel-E. van Asbeck

The loft owners have now been waiting for more than five years the promoters to achieve their work!

Some times, when those promotors were questionned about the next steps of their works,

• or they announced timings that were not respected
• or they did not answer
• or they pretended they did not knew anything, and refered to the syndicus and the loft owners' association representatives for follow up...It is nevertheless those promoters that are owners of those works. They are responsible for them. They have signed the contracts with the architect and the building companies. But it was so much easier to try to let the lofts owners - fed up with all this - spend time and money to try to make their works going on. So much easier ...

What can be read on their internet site Victorialofts.com : "Victoria Lofts, headed by Carel-E. van Asbeck and Maarten van Dijk is a company that has long been associated with quality"; and "The success is this project has received widespread recognition in local and national press."... associated with quality...? success of this project....? but of course no mention at all of the "small" problem that is not solved since nearly five years...

This « small » problem refers to water infiltration problems in the underground carpark situated for a part under the bulding street « des Archers », and for a part under what should be a garden zone at the back side of this bulding. Do remind, this is a brand new building...

Those water infiltrations seems to be hard to find...

Among the consequences of those « hardly found » infiltrations, there are:

• the garden zone does not at all looks like a garden zone, but looks like a roofing space where the rain water accumulates and stays
• some owners that should have private gardens could till now never enjoy them
• the «should be» common garden is just an infamous space
• the acces to the carpark are just infamous wood paths placed on wood transport palets, inadequate and dangerous access, totaly dispising the inhabitants of the place, amongst whom numerous children
• the access to the stairs and lifts of the building of street «des Archers» are through, or the infamous wood paths hereabove mentionned, or through terasses that are supposed to be private
• an important loss of value, for re-selling or renting the lofts

Of course, all this does not prevent the promoters to pretend on their internet site they are associated with quality... quality, for sure, with full respect for their clients!

It is foreseen that the car park under the building located street « des Archers » moves under the responsibility and management of the owners' association after the acceptance of the works. In July 2006, despite the fact that the water infiltration problems, detected since long, were not at all solved - they are still not solved today -, and that the garden situated on top of the car park did not at all look like a garden, the promoters made an acceptance of the building. They performed this acceptance with their building company Kumpen and their architect Bouillot, without even informing nor the syndicus, nor the owners' association representatives, nor any individual owner !

We can only question the finality of such an acceptance. Was this not an attempt of the promoters to integrate the car park under the responsability of the owner's association, and thus trying to get rid of the problem by leaving the owner's association spending time, energy and money to try to get the building company finishing the work ?

In September 2007, the promoters tried again an acceptance of the work, this time warning the owners' representative, but late - too late. And, again, all this with the water infiltrations not solved, and garden zone - thus also the access to the parking - not finished ...

So, on the one hand, when they were asked about the next steps of their works, they several times pretended they did not know anything about it, and referred to the syndicus and owners' association representatives for follow up. On the other hand, they performed acceptances of - unfinished and defectuous - works without even warning - or very late - nor this same syndicus, nor this same owner's association representatives. Strange...

In March 2008, things evolved... if we can say so. The promoters, finally, decided to clean the rubbish they had left in the site for years :

• They evacuated some big stone cylinders that were originally foreseen to serve as recipient for trees in the garden on top of the carpark. As this garden has till now never existed, the cylinders have never been placed where they should have. But of course, they were left for years on the site, visual pollution in this successful project...
• Some more stones, plastic roll, plastic tubes, and other stuff, that also decorated the site for long, were evacuated.
• End 2006, they took the soil out of the roofing on top of the carparck, and accumulated it on the part of the garden that belongs to the co-owners association's works. This part of the garden was already achieved, and was thus totally looking like a garden. They destroyed it with their huge pile of soil, mountain they have left there for about one and a half year : one and a half year of visual pollution - one more visual pollution -, of damage of the place, of non availability of a garden that was previously finished, of invasion of all kinds of undesired plants, and, each time it was raining, of mud flows on the path going through the garden. They finally evacuated this soil and put back the garden.

But no evolution at all of their works! Water infiltrations, roofing, wood paths on palets ... nothing has changed.

20 June 2008 :  the promoters announced they decided to - finally - start a legal action against the building company Kumpen to try to make them finalise the works. Good news thus, they - finally - decided to take relevant action. Regrettably so late ... Bad news, a legal action can possibly still impose new long timing before the works will be achieved.    

10 July 2008 : the infamous rotten wood paths imposed since years as access way to reach the carpark were changed. Incredible evolution of the works : from infamous rotten wood paths to infamous wood paths, that will undoubtely soon be rotten. Great! And also to be noticed is that, despite the fact it was clear that the  woods paths were becoming dangerous, they never took efficient action. The initiative that led to the changing of the wood paths came from a co-owner, fed up with the situation, that himself directly contacted the building company Kumpen.

End 2008 : already several people have fallen down the rotten wood paths, with as a consequence different levels of physical and material (clothes …) damages. But what should inevitably happen happened : a co-owner fell down the rotten wood paths, with serious physical damages, that risk to last long. Will the promoters take responsibility for this, and ask their insurance company (if they do at least have one?) to cover this? What do you guess…!? Will the promoters – finally – secure the “temporary” rotten wood paths they have imposed us for years? What do you guess…!? 

April 2009 : the case of the heavily wounded co-owner vs  BIP/Victorialofts.com brings to light that the promoters did not even kept an insurance, nor as owner of the works nor in “civil responsibility”, to cover the inevitable damages that would occurred due to the distressed state and lack of security of their construction site...  

September 2009 : fed-up with waiting that the promoters from the BIP/Victorialofts.com finalise their building work, the owner of a loft with as access, since nearly 5 years, the unachieved work space,  not easelly usable and dangerous,  decided to order building work himself, at his own cost. This to, finally, have a correct entrance to his loft… 

 Nb. The internet site of the promoters (« last edit 26/10/2009 ») still presents the project « Victoria Lofts » as a success (« … most audicious and succesfull loft project … » ; « The success is this project … »). Well, a same reality can obviously be perceived very differently …

January 2010 : some people contacted me using the « contact » functionality of this blog to let me know that another project of the BIP/Victorialoft.com, Jetlofts, apparently also have serious difficulties. Not knowing personally the evolution of this project, I will limit here my comment to report having been informed by those people.

Status on the 08 May 2010 : no evolution ... just the wood “path” a little more rotten, destroyed, and dangerous! And no communication at all from the promotors ...

 They have other projects: be cautious before signing...

Pictures taken end February 2010. There is now a big hole in the path, that becomes bigger every day. And, of course, still many people obliged to use this “path”, among who’s a family of 4 people, with 2 very young children, for who this is the only way to reach their loft …

(Today, 21 March 2010, the situation is still the same. Just the wood “path” a little more rotten, destroyed, and dangerous!)

Status on the 08 May 2010 : no evolution ... just the wood "paths" a little more rotten, destroyed and dangerous! And no communication at all from the promotors...

Status on the 21 March 2010 : no evolution ... just the wood “paths” a little more rotten, destroyed, and dangerous!

Status on the 24 January 2010 : no evolution ... 

Site  :  

•  I notice, as everybody walking on the site can notice, that no evolution occurred. We are still at a roofing state, where water accumulates and stays ; the access to the parking (as to some lofts) are still difficult and dangerous, on rotten wood paths ;  the terraces are still not secured ; the work place is still not secured ; some private gardens are still missing ; a part of the common garden is still missing ; …
• I can imagine that the promoters would argue that they can not do anything for the moment, notably for what concern the securisation of the site, because legal actions are ongoing. On that point, I could possibly agree with them, but would then ask them why they never secure the site before the legal actions started.  

Legal action BIP/Victorialofts.com vs building company : 

• As already stated on the blog, the promoters started a legal action against their building company. Nothing to add on this. The BIP/Victorialofts.com do not communicate a lot about this legal action. And even if I would know something, I would not write in this blog elements of content concerning an ongoing legal action.

 Legal action of some co-owners  vs BIP/Victorialofts.com : 

• Ongoing. And as for the points just here above, no matter of what I could know about it : I would not write in this blog elements of content concerning an ongoing legal action.

 Works done by a co-owner in order to allow him to – finally – have a decent access to his loft : 

•  I notice, as everybody walking on the site can notice, that this co-owner pursued his works. Have there been some reactions from the promoters, from co-owners astonished/enthusiastic/unhappy …? I do not know.

September 2009 : fed-up with waiting that the promoters from the BIP/Victorialofts.com finalise their building work, the owner of a loft with as access, since nearly 5 years, the unachieved work space,  not easelly usable and dangerous, decided to order building work himself, at his own cost. This to, finally, have a correct entrance to his loft…

April 2009 : the case of the heavily wounded co-owner vs  BIP/Victorialofts.com brings to light that the promotors did not even kept an insurance, nor as owner of the works nor in “civil responsibility”, to cover the inevitable damages that would occurred due to the distressed state and lack of security of their construction site...  

The promoters seems to be so proud of their - never ending and failing - building works that they impose on the building gates their "signature"- Conceived and realised by Victoria Lofts (well, it is to be noticed that their stuff can not been seen from the street...)

Since mid April 2009, they impose on the common property these signs, promoting their company, whereas at the same time they impose, since too many years, their works, never ending, not easily usable, not safe and dangerous.

To impose these signs at the entrance of the site, on the common property, is very arrogant and disrespectful towards co-owners and residents of the place. But they don’t seem to care about this type of issues.

The loft owners association has Internal Rules. These indicate that nobody can place personal signs on the common property, without an agreement from the co-owners general assembly.

They imposed their signs without having asked the co-owners general assembly, and thus without its agreement. They apparently don’t care about the Internal Rules of the site. They apparently don’t care about the management and decision-making body which is the co-owners general assembly.

April 2009, not long after the placement of these signs, the Syndicus sent to the promoters an email asking them to take out these signs, placed without the agreement of the co-owners general assembly. They did not respond to this demand. They apparently don’t care about the Syndicus.

Today, 2 November 2009, these signs are still present.

On the sign located at the site entrance Rue de Neck, someone added the word “Dieven” (= “thief” in Dutch). I only tell the fact. I leave the reader to make his/her own interpretation of it.

    

Already several people have fallen down the rotten wood paths, with as a consequence different levels of physical and material (clothes …) damages.

But what should inevitably happen happened : a co-owner fell down the rotten wood paths, with serious physical damages, that risk to last long.

Will the promoters take responsibility for this, and ask their insurance company (if they do at least have one?) to cover this? What do you guess…!?

Will the promoters – finally – secure the “temporary” rotten wood paths they have imposed us for years? What do you guess…!?

For Updated info and more photos, see the French version

More pictures : click here

This could have been a nice loft project. Could have been ...

The renovation of the former biscuits and chocolate factory Victoria - street « de Neck » and street « des Archers » in Koekelberg, Brussel, and their transformation into around 100 lofts. A project from the Hollanders Maarten R. Van Dijk et Carel-E. van Asbeck, throug their company Belgium International Properties (commercial name : Victorialofts.com)

 Two parts for the project:

• Renovation of the old bulding. Works under the responsibility of the loft owners' association
• Construction of a new bulding on the street «des Archers». Works under the responsibility of Maarten R. Van Dijk and Carel-E. van Asbeck

The loft owners have now been waiting for more than five years the promoters to achieve their work!

Some times, when those promotors were questionned about the next steps of their works,

• or they announced timings that were not respected
• or they did not answer
• or they pretended they did not knew anything, and refered to the syndicus and the loft owners' association representatives for follow up...It is nevertheless those promoters that are owners of those works. They are responsible for them. They have signed the contracts with the architect and the building companies. But it was so much easier to try to let the lofts owners - fed up with all this - spend time and money to try to make their works going on. So much easier ...

What can be read on their internet site Victorialofts.com : "Victoria Lofts, headed by Carel-E. van Asbeck and Maarten van Dijk is a company that has long been associated with quality"; and "The success is this project has received widespread recognition in local and national press."... associated with quality...? success of this project....? but of course no mention at all of the "small" problem that is not solved since nearly five years...

This « small » problem refers to water infiltration problems in the underground carpark situated for a part under the bulding street « des Archers », and for a part under what should be a garden zone at the back side of this bulding. Do remind, this is a brand new building...

Those water infiltrations seems to be hard to find...

Among the consequences of those « hardly found » infiltrations, there are:

• the garden zone does not at all looks like a garden zone, but looks like a roofing space where the rain water accumulates and stays
• some owners that should have private gardens could till now never enjoy them
• the «should be» common garden is just an infamous space
• the acces to the carpark are just infamous wood paths placed on wood transport palets, inadequate and dangerous access, totaly dispising the inhabitants of the place, amongst whom numerous children
• the access to the stairs and lifts of the building of street «des Archers» are through, or the infamous wood paths hereabove mentionned, or through terasses that are supposed to be private
• an important loss of value, for re-selling or renting the lofts

Of course, all this does not prevent the promoters to pretend on their internet site they are associated with quality... quality, for sure, with full respect for their clients!

It is foreseen that the car park under the building located street « des Archers » moves under the responsibility and management of the owners' association after the acceptance of the works. In July 2006, despite the fact that the water infiltration problems, detected since long, were not at all solved - they are still not solved today -, and that the garden situated on top of the car park did not at all look like a garden, the promoters made an acceptance of the building. They performed this acceptance with their building company Kumpen and their architect Bouillot, without even informing nor the syndicus, nor the owners' association representatives, nor any individual owner !

We can only question the finality of such an acceptance. Was this not an attempt of the promoters to integrate the car park under the responsability of the owner's association, and thus trying to get rid of the problem by leaving the owner's association spending time, energy and money to try to get the building company finishing the work ?

In September 2007, the promoters tried again an acceptance of the work, this time warning the owners' representative, but late - too late. And, again, all this with the water infiltrations not solved, and garden zone - thus also the access to the parking - not finished ...

So, on the one hand, when they were asked about the next steps of their works, they several times pretended they did not know anything about it, and referred to the syndicus and owners' association representatives for follow up. On the other hand, they performed acceptances of - unfinished and defectuous - works without even warning - or very late - nor this same syndicus, nor this same owner's association representatives. Strange...

In March 2008, things evolved... if we can say so. The promoters, finally, decided to clean the rubbish they had left in the site for years :

• They evacuated some big stone cylinders that were originally foreseen to serve as recipient for trees in the garden on top of the carpark. As this garden has till now never existed, the cylinders have never been placed where they should have. But of course, they were left for years on the site, visual pollution in this successful project...
• Some more stones, plastic roll, plastic tubes, and other stuff, that also decorated the site for long, were evacuated.
• End 2006, they took the soil out of the roofing on top of the carparck, and accumulated it on the part of the garden that belongs to the co-owners association's works. This part of the garden was already achieved, and was thus totally looking like a garden. They destroyed it with their huge pile of soil, mountain they have left there for about one and a half year : one and a half year of visual pollution - one more visual pollution -, of damage of the place, of non availability of a garden that was previously finished, of invasion of all kinds of undesired plants, and, each time it was raining, of mud flows on the path going through the garden. They finally evacuated this soil and put back the garden.

But no evolution at all of their works! Water infiltrations, roofing, wood paths on palets ... nothing has changed.

20 June 2008 :  the promoters announced they decided to - finally - start a legal action against the building company Kumpen to try to make them finalise the works. Good news thus, they - finally - decided to take relevant action. Regrettably so late ... Bad news, a legal action can possibly still impose new long timing before the works will be achieved.    

10 July 2008 : the infamous rotten wood paths imposed since years as access way to reach the carpark were changed. Incredible evolution of the works : from infamous rotten wood paths to infamous wood paths, that will undoubtely soon be rotten. Great! And also to be noticed is that, despite the fact it was clear that the  woods paths were becoming dangerous, they never took efficient action. The initiative that led to the changing of the wood paths came from a co-owner, fed up with the situation, that himself directly contacted the building company Kumpen.

End 2008 : already several people have fallen down the rotten wood paths, with as a consequence different levels of physical and material (clothes …) damages. But what should inevitably happen happened : a co-owner fell down the rotten wood paths, with serious physical damages, that risk to last long. Will the promoters take responsibility for this, and ask their insurance company (if they do at least have one?) to cover this? What do you guess…!? Will the promoters – finally – secure the “temporary” rotten wood paths they have imposed us for years? What do you guess…!? 

April 2009 : the case of the heavily wounded co-owner vs  BIP/Victorialofts.com brings to light that the promoters did not even kept an insurance, nor as owner of the works nor in “civil responsibility”, to cover the inevitable damages that would occurred due to the distressed state and lack of security of their construction site...  

September 2009 : fed-up with waiting that the promoters from the BIP/Victorialofts.com finalise their building work, the owner of a loft with as access, since nearly 5 years, the unachieved work space,  not easelly usable and dangerous,  decided to order building work himself, at his own cost. This to, finally, have a correct entrance to his loft…

Nb. The internet site of the promoters (« last edit 26/10/2009 ») still presents the project « Victoria Lofts » as a success (« … most audicious and succesfull loft project … » ; « The success is this project … »). Well, a same reality can obviously be perceived very differently …

January 2010 : some people contacted me using the « contact » functionality of this blog to let me know that another project of the BIP/Victorialoft.com, Jetlofts, apparently also have serious difficulties. Not knowing personally the evolution of this project, I will limit here my comment to report having been informed by those people.

Status on the 08 May 2010 : no evolution ... just the wood “path” a little more rotten, destroyed, and dangerous! And no communication at all from the promotors ...

They have other projects: be cautious before signing...