We have been informed that after being sincerely ill for more than a year Emmanuel Botte has passed away.
Emmanuel, or Manu as many of us knew him, has been active in ECIA since the start in 1992. From 1992 untill 2004 he served as the Treasurer of the Board, but he was also enthousiasticly active in many of ECIA's programs. As a former president of founding member AinB and as a long time educator and practitioner he brought to ECIA a wealth of knowledge, experience and critical reflection.

Our hearts are with his family and our colleagues in Belgium.

The ECIA board

The news that reached me of the death of Emmanuel Botte, was unexpected and a shock. I have known him since a very long time, both professionally and personally. Together we fought many battles in the ECIA and we both had the intense pleasure of quiet drink and cigar after many long and tiring meetings, anywhere in Europe.
I met Emmanuel for the first time in 1992 at the outset of the ECIA, an almost shy man, courteous and elegant, willing to take up the difficult post as first treasurer. Over the years we got to know each other well, we struggled together to get the individualistic interior architects in line, to have them live up to their promises and answer their often impossible questions. These were difficult tasks, but you could trust Emmanuel to treat each and every problem with in gentle but decisive manner.
Emmanuel has served the ECIA and it’s thousands of Interior architects, for a very long time. Board members came and went, Emmanuel was always there, not missing one important meeting, a solid rock in a sometimes unruly young organisation.
Emmanuel had faith in the profession, hence his dedication to St. Lucas in Gent. His involvement with the students gave him an extra motivation to fight for the right education form for this profession. In all his quiet and subdued appearance he managed, together with others, to get the education in Belgium on the right tracks. Actually as one of the first in Europe.
We will miss his dedication, his calm and balanced approach to any problem, but are grateful for what he did for the European Interior Architects, for more than a decade.

Speaking for all the ECIA members, I wish his wife, children and grandchildren strength to cope with this loss.

Roeland van der Hidde BNI
Past President ECIA 1992 - 1999

A Emmanuel,
Emmanuel BOTTE  tu nous as quitté fin 2008 et tu nous manques toujours.
Je me permets de parler en mon nom et de tes confrères des derniers bureaux de l’ECIA.
Durant 10 années nous avons travaillé ensemble et tu as toujours été de bon conseil, d’humeur égale en deux mots le collaborateur positif.
Emmanuel tu étais l’ami sur qui on a toujours pu compter ta présence régulière aux réunions de bureaux nous éclairait. Tu étais l’histoire de l’ECIA, tes connaissances et compétences furent d’un grand soutien. Ton rôle de trésorier n’a pas toujours été facile et tu l’a accompli sans souci.

Quelle bonne idée de Kees Spanjers et de son bureau de nous avoir  invité à participer à l’AG de l’ECIA qui se tenait à Amsterdam en 2007 quel moment de bonheur de se retrouver nous étions pratiquement tous là et heureux de nous retrouver pour partager ce moment d’Amitié, et, nous ne savions pas qu’une année après tu aurais quitté le navire.
Nos réunions furent toujours agréable rempli d’échanges sur l’avenir européen de la profession.
Tu nous a aidé pour faire avancer le gros navire L’ECIA. On ne t’oublie pas et je sais que tu continueras à nous éclairer.

Christine Borella

ECIA President 1999 – 2004

To Emmanuel
Emmanuel BOTTE you left us end of 2008 and we still miss you.

I am speaking under my name and the ECIA board members of our time.
For ten years we have been collaborating together and you always have been a Mate in a good mood, coopérative, optimistic.in two words a great pale. You were the history of ECIA your knowledge and compétences always helped us a lot and we are are thankfull for this to You.
Our meetings have always been a pleasure and our debates on the futur of ECIA importants.
You guided us and you helped us to navigate and encrease the ECIA Boat! You were the tresurer and sometimes i twas not easy at all but you managed.
 

What a good idea Kees Spanjers had to invite us to participate to the ECIA GA last 2007 in Amsterdam. We were so pleased all together to meet we shared so much. We were happy to see each other again and share this fFriendship moment and we did well.
None of us knew at the time that you would have left our planet so early.
Emmanuel we will not forget you and I know that you will keep an eye on us !!!

Christine Borella
ECIA President 1999 – 2004