Bourgeois was born in Charleroi and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels from 1914 through 1918, and was mentored by Henry van de Velde.

Bourgeois's first important architectural work was a group of houses in the Rue du Cubisme in Koekelberg (Brussels Region), showing the direct influence of the Dutch modernists.

His largest project was built between 1922 and 1925 in Sint-Agatha-Berchem (Brussels Region) for a cooperative for social housing, the Cité moderne included 275 units.

The entire district was planned by urban planner and landscape architect Louis Van der Swaelmen, intended to promote coexistence and solidarity between people, as well as provide for their safety.

The project earned Bourgeois the Grand Prize at the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes in 1925 and brought him international attention.