Paulien Beeckman

Paulien Beeckman is a Researcher in the Department of Architectural Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). She holds a PhD in Architectural Engineering and focuses on circular design strategies for repurposing office buildings into affordable housing. Her work addresses urban vacancy, sustainable urban development, and policy implementation.

Education: Paulien completed her Master's thesis in 2022 on Circular Reconversion of Office Buildings to Social Housing, supervised by Prof. Waldo Galle and Dr. Niels De Temmerman. She is currently a doctoral student at VUB.

Research Interests: She explores affordable housing solutions, built environment sustainability, urban planning policies, and circular economy principles in architectural design. Her projects emphasize transforming underutilized office spaces into socially equitable housing while minimizing environmental impact.

Key Projects: Leading the FWOSB162 project (2023–2027), which investigates circular design qualities for converting office buildings into affordable housing. This project combines academic research with practical design strategies to address urban vacancy challenges.

Activities: Paulien has presented at conferences such as the International Social Housing Festival and workshops on topics like 'Duurzame innovatie in de sociale woningbouw' (Sustainable Innovation in Social Housing). She collaborates with institutions like TU Delft and local policymakers.

Grants & Datasets: The Retrospective Analysis: Offices to Housing dataset (2024) documents her research findings. No scientific awards are explicitly listed in the provided texts.