Kardham opens its Belgian subsidiary and strengthens its European footprint

An already well-established presence

The opening of Kardham Belgium builds on the Group’s activities in Belgium over recent years. Kardham has been supporting European and Belgian institutions, with assignments that have gradually expanded to cover the full scope of its expertise: consulting, architecture, engineering, design and digital solutions.

The Group is also regularly engaged by international clients seeking support for their projects in the region. In 2022, Kardham’s workplace and design & build teams notably designed and delivered TotalEnergies’ new headquarters in Brussels (17,000 sqm).

The opening of Kardham Belgium now provides the Group with a strong local presence to better address this market.

Belgium and Luxembourg: high-potential markets

As the European capital, home to institutions, international organizations and corporate headquarters, Brussels naturally emerged as the location for Kardham Belgium.

In a generally cautious European context, the Brussels office market—estimated at over 12.5 million sqm*—has proven resilient. Partly aging, it offers significant opportunities for transforming existing assets, driven by increasing expectations in terms of sustainability and user experience.

Beyond Belgium, this new presence also opens up development opportunities across the Benelux region, particularly in Luxembourg, where Kardham already has references. A complementary market, highly active and characterized by a premium positioning.

An integrated model to meet a demanding market

Kardham Belgium will offer services covering all of the Group’s business lines, with a particular focus on design & build and project management.

While remaining open to opportunities, the teams will primarily target large corporate clients—institutions, international companies, law firms, and players in the finance, insurance and healthcare sectors—for whom workplace environments are a strategic lever.

Kardham Belgium will stand out through several key strengths:

• An integrated approach, enabling the coordinated mobilization of complementary expertise on complex projects, supported by a proven network of local partners
• Strong sustainability expertise, including reuse practices already implemented in workplace projects, in response to growing market expectations in Brussels
• A service-oriented approach to workspaces, integrating digital and multimedia solutions, still underdeveloped in the Belgian market
• An independent positioning, with no transactional activity, ensuring the absence of conflicts of interest
• A local presence, fostering proximity and adaptation to market specificities

A local team to accelerate development

The subsidiary is led by Benoît Cruysmans, Managing Director. A trained architect, entrepreneur and sustainability expert, he brings over 20 years of experience in real estate, spanning design, project management and strategic consulting. He founded his own architecture firm, delivering more than 75 projects in Belgium and France, before creating and leading ESG and sustainability departments within major international firms (CBRE, Colliers).

His hybrid profile—combining strategic vision, operational expertise and a strong commitment to responsible real estate—is a key asset in structuring and accelerating the development of Kardham Belgium.

The Belgian subsidiary launches with a team of five employees, some of whom are already involved in projects related to European institutions. The ambition is to grow to around ten people within four years, bringing together complementary profiles: architects, engineers, design & build specialists and business development experts.

Kardham will also leverage, depending on projects, the expertise of its French teams based in Lille and Paris.

This new presence reflects the Group’s commitment to designing spaces that are more sustainable, more efficient and more meaningful, closely aligned with local contexts.

« I am proud to join Kardham and lead the development of its Belgian subsidiary. I see this project as a true intrapreneurial adventure, with a strong ambition to contribute to the Group’s growth. My goal is to build a committed team and deliver projects with high user value, fully aligned with shared principles of sustainability and sobriety», Benoît Cruysmans, Managing Director, Kardham Belgium

« This opening is the culmination of several years of development in Belgium and Luxembourg. It enables us to strengthen our presence in the Benelux region and deploy our integrated model at the heart of a particularly demanding ecosystem, supporting our clients with greater proximity and responsiveness», Mildred de Gasquet, Regional Director Benelux

« The opening of Kardham Belgium marks a decisive step in our European expansion strategy initiated in 2019. It reflects our ambition to establish a long-term presence in key markets, adopting a pragmatic approach and selecting, depending on the context, the most relevant development model to support the real estate transformations of companies», Jean-François Couëc, President of Groupe Kardham