Erected in 1908 as a gendarmerie school, the four-hectare site behind tall brick walls has been unoccupied since 2015. It is presently being gradually converted into a university site for the two free universities in Brussels. Built with EU grants, the first stage includes seven historic buildings. Some of the total of 22 barracks buildings will contain new apartments and are being developed privately. Access is not from the front but from the side via a wide staircase. Here a glass pavilion forms a reception area for the university hub. The central wing includes accommodation for foreign researchers, beside it is a wing with further study spaces. The conversion follows a radical circular economy — re-using both construction materials and structures as much as possible. Whatever could not be used again — for instance brick — was recycled to make terrazzo flooring. The result is a conversion in which old and new do not lead so much to a contrasting bricolage but rather go together hand in hand.