Bart Decloedt studied interior design in Mechelen. His career began in a way that typifies his curiosity: as a salesman of design classics and custom-made furniture in a Bruges furniture business. After additional training, Bart did an internship at Buro Interior, the practice responsible for BURO II’s interior projects. He then went on to work as an assistant interior designer and later as an interior designer. “I gratefully seized the many opportunities I was given, but I also created them myself,” he says of that time.
Bart has been head of the department since 2011. His commitment to effective communication is obvious in the enthusiastic way he describes B2Ai interior, but also in his whole team’s readiness to listen. Their flawless projects closely reflect their clients’ daily working and living scenarios.
Continuous innovation
“For us, an interior must be a contemporary, innovative sustainable environment that conveys the identity of the occupant, the company or the organisation,” Bart explains. “Just like our architects, we don’t want to be a slave to prevailing fashions and passing trends. We are constantly striving for innovation in order to achieve timelessness.”
The interior department: a strong pillar right from the start
“Right from the very beginning, our practice has given a great deal of importance to the interior finish of our projects. Over the course of more than 40 years, the department has grown into a full team of 10 interior designers. B2Ai interior forms an integral part of B2Ai architects. For turnkey projects, we work in close and seamless cooperation with all the departments in the practice. But our interiors department also offers its services independently.
A customised portfolio
Bart does not name any specific interior projects, but like B2Ai architects, his department is active in private and public projects, where innovation, experience and quality are part of its DNA. “We deliver timeless, custom-made interior designs within the predefined budget. Our wide-ranging portfolio includes everything from small to large-scale and complex projects: schools, offices, care institutions, hotels and private homes.
An integral approach
Bart summarises the approach of B2Ai interior with two key words: integral and communication. “We take an integral approach at B2Ai, as our practice excels in every discipline, from the architectural design through the technical studies to the actual construction and detailing. Our various departments, including the interior department, work together like a well-oiled machine in order to arrive at an optimal design concept. This integrated approach is also reflected in our close cooperation with all the stakeholders: in our case, that’s usually the client or the users.”
And the second key word? “Communication. Sound, flawless communication that inspires confidence. Within B2Ai architects, with all the external stakeholders and especially with the client. This exceptional attention to communication encourages participation: the client takes part in the consultations at every stage, but always has the last word. And it is all completely transparent: we give our clients accurate information so that they can make informed choices. This means you are in the perfect position to assess the consequences of those choices properly, whether in terms of price, timing or functionality.”
Scenarios for and about the client
Every project is a questioning, a piece of research. B2Ai interior explores the boundaries of a project and investigates its feasibility using Scenario Based Design, a design methodology that focuses on the end user. Bart explains: “This means that we listen to our clients and engage in dialogue. Starting from questions like ”who is the end user, what do they need, who uses the rooms”, we draw up a scenario representing their daily life or work. This provides the basis for our designs. It doesn’t get any more client-centric than that.”