Frédéric Beernaerts: Architect Without Borders

From Zimbabwe to Kuwait, from the Caribbean to the major cities of the Gulf region: Frédéric Beernaerts has built a career that is anything but straightforward. The Belgian architect has travelled from one project to the next for almost thirty years. His guiding principle? The unshakeable conviction that architecture only truly gains meaning through its confrontation with the reality that surrounds it – local cultures, constraints, crises and processes of change.

His career follows the fault lines of modern globalisation: post-disaster reconstruction in the Caribbean, housing programmes in Africa, the refurbishment of retail premises in the United Kingdom and mega-projects in the Middle East. Meet an extraordinary expert, globetrotter, freelancer and astute observer of a changing profession. An expat who views his career through the eyes of someone who has lived several lives in one.

Always somewhere else

International mobility is almost a given in the Beernaerts family. It ran like a thread through his life: a mother who taught at a European School and a father who ended his career as a lawyer in Gabon.

Yet nothing suggested that the young man from Brussels would later work primarily in English-speaking environments. English was initially his weakness, but he decided to enhance it. ‘I wanted to make the language a force rather than a hindrance,’ he summarises.

He completed his studies at the Institut Victor Horta (Université Libre de Bruxelles) in 1996 and resolutely chose a path off the beaten track. His destination: Zimbabwe.

Harare: Learning at breakneck speed

He started working at one of the country’s most renowned architectural firms in Harare. It was a shock. Architecture was urgent and sometimes dictated by acute emergencies rather than conceptual or inaccessible.

Projects followed one after another at a rapid pace: hotels, banks, public buildings and private homes. Versatility became a daily discipline. Technical precision had to hold its own against a chronic lack of resources. Some projects left an indelible impression, such as a funeral centre for AIDS victims or the extensions to Western diplomatic missions. ‘We quickly learnt to make decisions without compromising on accuracy.’

After a natural disaster, architecture is no longer about design. It is a means of survival.

Frédéric Beernaerts

The political hardening of Robert Mugabe’s regime in the late 1990s made access to the country gradually impossible. While one chapter came to a close, his urge to travel further afield was now fully awakened.

Confirmation as an expat

His path led him to Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, severely damaged by the eruption of the Soufrière volcano. Part of the island had been completely reduced to rubble and ashes. Beernaerts worked in this landscape, brought to an abrupt standstill, as part of United Nations reconstruction programmes.

The aim was not to erect architectural masterpieces, but to ensure continuity: to rehouse people, create stability and build something lasting. ‘After a natural disaster, architecture is no longer about design. It is a means of survival.’

A stopover in Australia with a contractor involved in the island’s reconstruction extended this adventure. He returned to Belgium in the early 2000s.

Back in Europe: between settling in and a new beginning

He threw himself into projects for hospitals and shops and offices in Brussels. Yet this stability remained rather superficial. Deep down, the wanderlust continued to slumber. Africa knocked on his door once more.

In Kenya, he helped with housing projects supported by the United Nations. In Senegal, he worked as part of an international collaboration on the renovation of the former Assemblée territoriale du Fleuve in Saint-Louis.

One by one, these projects confirmed a key insight: architecture never stands alone; it is inextricably linked to the social, economic and cultural systems in which it emerges.

United Kingdom: From strict standards to crisis

He moved to the United Kingdom in 2006 to take part in a large-scale refurbishment programme for Marks & Spencer branches across the country. Everything had to be done quickly within a strict, standardised framework. He experienced a profound professional and linguistic immersion in this process.

Then came 2008. The global financial crisis brought a significant part of the projects to an abrupt halt. This confirmed a fundamental characteristic of the profession: architecture moves in step with the global economy.

The Gulf region: between strength and vulnerability

It was precisely during this uncertain time that a headhunter contacted him. The destination: the Middle East. And so began the most intense period of his career. He worked in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

He tackled one mega-project after another for over ten years. Waste water treatment plants, military infrastructure, palaces, airports and data centres: this portfolio reflects the enormous dynamism of a region in a state of constant flux.

The dynamism of a globalised field

The oil price determines the demand for new projects in the Middle East. The density of the existing architectural landscape leads to fierce competition for major contracts in Europe. Many architects come away empty-handed. ‘If I stayed in Belgium, my career would have looked very different,’ he reflects.

Although he feels a strong connection to his homeland, he emphasises the importance of the relationships he cultivated with the Belgian community abroad. He served, for example, as chairman of the Belgian Club in Qatar. Always with the aim of linking Belgian expertise with local culture.

A break for a fresh start

He left Kuwait in 2006 after his last mission there, physically scarred by a double slipped disc following four particularly intense years. A painful reminder of just how crucial good health insurance is. It also made him see healthcare and social security in Europe in a different light – systems he took long for granted. ‘With the Overseas Social Security (OSS) and in Europe in general, insurance cover is indeed much more comprehensive and efficient than in some other countries.’

He decided to return to Montserrat, the place where he helped with the reconstruction following the volcanic disaster years earlier. Thus, the circle is complete.
In the house he is now renovating for himself there – a world away from the mega-projects in the Gulf – time takes on a different dimension. He fills his days with rehabilitation, DIY and silence. A different kind of building.

‘A blessing in disguise,’ as they sometimes say. In retrospect, leaving Kuwait to recover in Montserrat proved to be perfectly timed: just a few days later, the new Gulf War broke out. His project was partially destroyed.

Moving on differently

Since then, he has invested time and effort in his recovery, whilst already cautiously exploring new professional challenges. Where exactly? ‘I’m not ruling out any options at the moment,’ he says matter-of-factly.

Now, approaching sixty, his curiosity remains undimmed, driven by a constant desire to make his contribution.
These days, he is primarily seeking the right balance: ambition or quality of life? ‘Both, if possible,’ he concludes with a knowing smile.

And anyone who listens to his story knows one thing for certain: nothing suggests that the next stage will be his last. Nor will it be the most predictable.

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