We bought a church!

After seven years of vacancy, the church has finally found new residents. In fact, the last mass was held in the same year Springbok was founded. Talk about destiny. After the most enchanting location scouting ever, the Sint-Albertus Church in Muizen is set to become our new international headquarters. Or as our CEO Kim Verhaeghen puts it: ‘This will be a new home for 70 of our employees. This move feels very natural for us, since the church was built to last generations just like Springbok. We aim to make something that is just as meaningful as this building.’

For over a century, the church was a place for local residents to gather and connect. We don’t want to change that. If you’ve ever browsed our website, you know we’re big on connections. To keep that community spirit of the church alive, we will organise get-togethers for the neighbours and open up our space to the public after work hours. Artists will be able to host their exhibitions, local clubs and schools can use our meeting rooms and orchestras will have the perfect setting for their concerts.

If you want to pay us a visit, our doors are always open as befits a church but chances are you will mostly see construction workers on the site for the time being. A building of that age and magnitude obviously needs some restoration. We’re working with a yet to be revealed architectural agency to make sure we keep the allure and history of the building intact as we update its interior to a more contemporary design. The agency will enable us to serve as a bridge between the past and the future.

And in case you’re wondering: the Church is completely on board. ‘We fully support the vision for the church’s future. The Sint-Albertus Church can remain the beating heart of the neighbourhood,’ says Werner Van Laer from the Archbishopric of Mechelen-Brussels.

One question still needs to be answered though: does this mean the Pope is our landlord now?