BENEDICTE THONNARD
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
ARCHITECTURAL COST CONSULTANT
INSTITUTIONAL & INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
W O R K E X P E R I E N C E
Co-Founder – AfriKaro Burundi 2023 - Present § Co-founder of AfriKaro, a company developing high-end architectural cement tiles for premium residential, hospitality and institutional projects.
AfriKaro specializes in the creation of large-scale architectural compositions that integrate cultural motifs, geometric patterns and institutional identities into floors and walls. These compositions are conceived as permanent architectural artworks, capable of transforming terraces, entrance halls and representative spaces into emblematic environments for embassies, hotels, universities and public buildings
Construction Manager – CETIM S.A., Brussels
2014 - Present
§ Resumed the Quantity Surveyor role for the extension of Saint-Luc University Hospital in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, contributing to the financial and technical oversight of a major institutional healthcare project.
§ Coordinated architects and engineering teams for the preparation of tender documentation for the CCN Development project, a major mixed-use urban development including over 90,000 m² of offices and 50,000 m² of residential units. Specification writer and coordinator of the quantity surveying with the integration of BIM data
§ Supervised the budget of the construction phase of 115 new housing units in Brussels for BESIX RED : Viridis project in Schaerbeek
§ Quantity Surveyor during the renovation and extension of Westland Shopping Center in Brussels for AG REAL ESTATE
§ Assessed the preliminary project for the GESU Church redevelopment in Brussels for RUE ROYALE SA. To assume the role of Construction Manager in the upcoming project phase.
§ Managed the partial renovation of Bastion Tower and the redevelopment of adjoining spaces at Porte de Namur in Brussels.
§ Evaluated a complex of 136 flats in Brussels for architectural firm ART & BUILD. § Managed the renovation and extension of the commercial base of the Gretry complex, Bd Anspach, Brussels for Gretry Shopping Center SA
§ Managed the conversion of an office tower into 156 residential units, overseeing budget control, planning coordination and technical execution.
Quai aux Pierres de Taille in Brussels for BESIX RED : The Cosmopolitan tower.
§ Managed the construction phase of 205 new housing units in Brussels for BESIX RED: Canal District project.
§ Verification of quantities and counts during the analysis of the as-built documentation for the Gateway building in Zaventem. Developers: CODIC and IMMOBEL
§ Managed the conversion of offices into a HAMPTON hotel in Brussels for BHM-ALIDES: La Source project.
§ Methodology and coordination of BIM encoding for the architecture firms CERAU-YY-Atlante and Atelier 55 as part of the Tivoli Green City project in Laeken
Construction Manager – GPSA sa, Brussels
2008 - 2014
§ Construction Manager for the renovation of the flat hotel SOURCE in Brussels for BHM-ALIDES
§ Assisted in project management for the renovation of the WTC3 tower in Brussels for FEDIMMO and La Régie des Bâtiments.
§ Managed the construction of Ikaros VI offices + warehouse in Zaventem for CODIC Belgium SA
§ Provided technical supervision for the renovations of MRS and flat-hotels for AEDIFICA: "Château Chenois," "Jardins de Provence," and "rue Souveraine."
§ Establishment of various quantity surveys for budgeting and tender documents
Head of the architecture department at Zest Design+Architecture
2006 - 2008.
§ Valuation and planning of retail projects
§ Management of internal planning and human resources § Managed retail projects for BELGACOM/PROXIMUS, MARCOLINI, GODIVA, KINEPOLIS, MARIE JO, STIB, GAULOISE during brand makeovers
§ Responsible for the commercial zoning project in Mont Saint Guibert for AXA § Management of the renovation of a passenger hall in Brussels Airport,
Project manager at A.D.E architects in Brussels, Commercial and residential architecture
2001 - 2006
§ Construction manager for the Louise Gallery Event Hall in Brussels
§ Collaboration on the Charleroi Airport project: technical support for the interior design office ARCADE, collaboration with the design office FSA (Montreal), collaboration with the engineering offices ARCADIS and BERGER
§ Responsible for mixed projects: commercial and residential ground floors in Waterloo and Brussels § Responsible for transformation/reassignment projects in the residential sector
§ Establishment of quantity surveys for budgeting and quantity surveys and specifications for tender documents
Creation of JAZZ UP sprl - architectural visualization and quantity surveyor
2001 - Present
§ Prepared quantity surveys and cost estimates for the renovation of the City 2 Shopping Centre (Brussels).
§ Conducted tender quantity surveys for the completion of phase 2 of Papeterie de Genval for architectural offices DDS and Atelier de Genval (22,000m² of flats and basements)
§ Undertook tender quantity surveys for the completion of the Silver Tower for Atelier de Genval (30,000 m² of offices and 8,000 m² in the basement).
§ Managed tender quantity surveys for “Your nature” organic architecture project of a nature and sports leisure park. Architect Atelier de l’Arbre d’Or
§ Conducted tender quantity surveys for the completion of the REALEX Tower, architect Assar, for Himlung sprl (14,000 m² of offices and basements).
§ Managed tender quantity surveys for phase 1 of the Papeterie de Genval for EQUILIS (12,000 m² of residence and senior housing).
§ Conducted tender quantity surveys for the Sucrerie d'Ath project for architectural studio DDS (18,000 m² of residence).
§ Design support for SWIFT Europe
Architect, Liège and Brussels
1992 – 2001
§ Freelance collaborator in various architectural offices in Liège and Brussels
§ Numerous projects in the residential sector
§ Design support and technical studies in the frame of commercial space projects (CASTORAMA, LIDL, DELHAIZE, GB)
S K I L L S
Regulatory & Technical Standards
Familiar with European construction regulations and technical standards including Royal Decree on Fire Prevention – Basic Standard, NBN, ATG, CSTC, CoBrACE RRU, RGPT, MIT, RGIE, PEB, acoustic standards, LCA, CCTB, Surveyor Measurement Code, as well as international sustainability frameworks such as BREEAM, WELL and WIRE SCORE.
International Regulatory Environment
Familiar with the OHADA business and corporate law framework, used across several African countries for company creation and business governance.
Digital & Technical Tools
§ Microsoft Office and MS Project
§ Archicad architectural software (2D, 3D and BIM environments)
§ Administration of Bricsys document management platform
§ Use of AI tools for text, image and video generation (OpenAI - Anthropic - Runway - Kling)
