OPEN CALL: INTERIOR DESIGN COMMISSION / LOOSE FURNISHINGS KAAITHEATER

Kaaitheater is a Brussels-based venue for dance, theatre, performance and dialogue. Since 1977, it has supported innovative performing arts and brought together artists from the Flemish Wave as well as new generations of Belgian and international creators.

With the question ‘How to Be Many?’, Kaaitheater aims to be an open house for diverse voices, stories and audiences. Through participation and mediation, we connect artists, visitors and neighbourhoods in and around Brussels.

THE NEW BUILDING

Together, over time.

We see the theatre not merely as a venue for performances, but as a space where people come together, share time and build relationships. Art, encounter and knowledge-sharing go hand in hand, with room for curiosity, difference and collective imagination.

Implications for the design

The design of Kaaitheater is based on sustainability, recognisability and a welcoming atmosphere. We opt for upcycling, circular materials and the reuse of existing or second-hand quality furniture.

The spaces must feel warm, informal and inviting: an open house where artists, the public and partners feel welcome. Wood, colour, natural materials and a cohesive overall concept create a recognisable and inclusive atmosphere that reflects collaboration and urban connectedness.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

We are compiling a longlist of design collectives interested in contributing to the interior design of Kaaitheater.

Based on this longlist, the Department of Culture, Youth and Media of the Flemish Community, in consultation with Kaaitheater, will invite 3 to 5 collectives to submit a tender – Negotiated procedure without prior publication – for a Design & Build contract.

The spaces to which the interior design contract/individual fit-out applies are areas with different functions and their own architectural identity, spread throughout the building. In addition to a number of specific requirements, these spaces call for a ‘gesture’ that expresses the DNA of Kaaitheater and makes it visible to artists, users and the public.

The brief for these spaces is based on a finalised architectural concept in which the floor coverings, wall coverings, ceiling finishes, fixed furniture, basic lighting and technical installations have been determined. The interior design/furnishing brief must be realised within this framework.

COMPETENCIES

Architecture, interior design, scenography, design, furniture design, etc.

INDICATIVE TIMELINE

Submission of expressions of interest: 3 April 2026 by 12 noon

Invitation to tender: April 2026

Submission of tenders: May/June 2026

BUDGET 

The total value of the contract is in the region of approximately €130,000 excluding VAT.
This figure is purely indicative and is intended solely to give an idea of the scale of the project.
Tenderers shall determine their price based on their own proposal and interpretation of the contract.

This is a Design & Build contract, which includes both the design and the execution of the works.

REMUNERATION

For this project, a fee of €1,500 will be awarded to each team that was invited to participate and submitted a valid tender, but was not selected as the winner.

If you are interested, please send an email to ann.bollen@kaaitheater.be by 12 noon on 3 April 2026 at the latest. In a document of no more than 2 A4 pages (including visual material), please explain why – interest, motivation, experience – you are the suitable candidate to be invited to submit a tender. Please also include your contact details.

Submitted applications must be in Dutch.

A contact person with a thorough knowledge of Dutch is required for the execution of the assignment.