Spotlight: Huizenhoog

Students of ILS learn their profession in real life. That is why International Lifestyle Studies works together with companies from the Netherlands and abroad. In the first two years of the programme, these companies act as project owners. In their third year, students can also approach them for their internships. On Join ILS, these companies introduce themselves on a regularly basis.

Company name Huizenhoog

Representative Björn Schoeberigs

Has collaborated with ILS since 2020

Sector Living

What kind of company is Huizenhoog?

“We are a firm that has a blend of architects, interior designers and we have the expertise of 3D drawing technique at our office . Our clients are quite diverse. From private individuals with a renovation to large contractors and developers. The assignments range from thinking about everything from the first draft to the last plinth, to being hired by a large company for something very specific. So we work on both a small and a large scale. But the core value is always the same, and that is that working together, a collaboration between us and the client, is a priority for us. Clients always have input and ideas and we adapt our working method to the clients. We always work for each client on the basis of dialogue and, therefore, on a customised basis.”

What is your relationship with ILS?

“I have been a teacher at ILS from 2015 to 2017. I was an expert in the Living sector, taught graphic subjects and was a study coach. I am still in contact with former colleagues who also provide coaching sessions at my company on a specific project. During the preparation of this particular project it actually came up that this project could be very interesting for ILS students as well. The project we are working on is about the 'new way of working' in a new building for a certain social welfare foundation. So that linked very nicely with what the students at ILS have to analyse and design during their studies. This topic is very much in line with the expertise of a Lifestyle Professional.”

What is the added value of this type of collaboration?

“The average age of the people working at the company for whom we are creating a new workplace, is about fifty years old. But these may retire in ten, fifteen years. But that building will be there for at least 50 years. That means we also have to focus on the new generation of employees. That's interesting for the ILS student. They research signals and can tell us what will happen in the coming years in terms of values and needs. For me it is interesting to see if my intuition as an architect matches with what the ILS students are analysing. For example, there was a group that focused on the millennial generation. They gave insight in what the upcoming twenty- or thirty year old wants in their first job. That was actually exactly what we were looking for and what we wanted to gain insight into. Their research was really inspiring for us.”

What do you like about ILS?

“I really like the students at ILS. I've worked at various HBO courses, but the ILS student is really a ‘breath of fresh air’. They're all quite mature within the subject matter and they're just very pleasant people to work with. They are good at picking up signals, looking for the right images and delivering an inspiration document. I was also surprised about their way of presenting. They are well trained to communicate their research and ideas for concepts in a presentation.”