BDO

Rue Stassart 35, 1050 Ixelles

HIGHLIGHTS

  • CLIENT: BDO
  • LOCATION: RUE STASSART 35, 1050 IXELLES
  • MOVE: MAY 2022
  • CASE STUDY TYPE: WORKPLACE STRATEGY
01 THE REQUEST

BDO, the fifth largest audit firm in the world, called on our expertise for the study and analysis (building consultancy) of the building it wanted to purchase in Rue Stassart, located in the heart of Ixelles. BDO was looking for premises that fitted in with their vision of doing business. “We are very close to our clients locally,” said Mr. Stephan Vandewiele, operations Director. “It’s what makes us so strong and we were very mindful of the image we wanted to project through our choice of building.” So we helped guide BDO throughout the entire process, which included a feasibility study and a total analysis of the building. We also put together the main reasons to support the purchase and worked with the client to define the parameters for the project. Once this stage was complete, BDO then commissioned us to handle all of the refurbishment works, plus the design and fit-out of its new office spaces. They also asked us to assist with the project management.

02 THE CHALLENGES

Guiding BDO in their choice of premises was a real challenge, given that it was basically a residential building. The problem of the ceilings being too low and the acoustics of the building were also essential issues that needed to be resolved in order to create offices that complied with current standards. We made our whole range of skills available to guide BDO in the acquisition of this property so that they could set up their new offices there. We handle the Design and Build side of BDO. The company wanted a design and concept that could be rolled out to all of its offices in Belgium. This meant that we needed to have a full understanding of how BDO operates so that we could develop a vision for them and provide them with a set of guidelines quickly that met their requirements and reflected what they were used to.

03 THE APPROACH

We began by carrying out various studies and analyses regarding the choice of building for BDO. This included a feasibility study, an HVAC requirements study, technical analyses, a study of the acoustics and a full survey, etc. To enable us to properly understand BDO, its values and the way it works so that we could propose the best concept to apply to all of their offices, we also conducted a workplace strategy study. We were helped in doing this by an in-depth analysis of the company that included questionnaires and showroom visits, as well as learning about their staff and working habits. This was to enable us to understand their needs and to define a vision of their new offices that matched them.

04 THE RESULT

As a result of the studies and analyses that we carried out in advance, our team of designers was able to come up with fit-out plans and an approach to the look & feel of the offices so that we could produce guidelines in line with BDO’s expectations that could be replicated and applied to all of BDO’s offices. The works in Rue Stassart are currently still in progress and handover is scheduled for May 2022.