Interdisciplinary thinking and research on Architecture, Urban space and Society within challenging diversities

Thank you for your interest in our company, its projects and services. We value your privacy rights and do our utmost to make sure that you do not need to worry about the protection of your Personal Data when visiting our Website. You have access to our Website for the purpose of consulting information about our company, its projects and services, without being obliged to communicate any of your Personal Data. We take the privacy rights of our Website Users very seriously and strive to be compliant with any and all applicable privacy and data protection regulations at all times.

You may access our Website and view most of the information about our company, its projects and services without communicating any of your Personal Data. However, on certain pages of our Website, Sum may ask or receive information about you, some of which may be considered to be Personal Data. This Privacy Policy describes how we use the Personal Data you may provide to us via, amongst others, the use of this Website. In case you have any questions or remarks concerning this Privacy Policy, we invite you to contact us via the contact section of our Website or at the address indicated below.

The present Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. We therefore advise you to consult this page on a regular basis so that you are aware of changes, if any, and find out whether these are acceptable to you. This policy applies to all Website Users and to all means of access, including, but not limited to, desktop and laptop computers or mobile devices.

 
By submitting Personal Data via the Website, you explicitly confirm your approval of the use of your Personal Data in accordance with the present Privacy Policy.

 

1.Definitions

“Sum”, “us” or “we” means SumProject Architecture & Engineering BV CVBA, having its registered offices at 1000 Brussels, Boulevard de Waterloo 90 and with company number 0422.525.565 (“SumProject”) and SumResearch SA (a company incorporated under Belgian law, having its registered offices at 1000 Brussels, Boulevard de Waterloo 90 and with company number 0454.010.181) (jointly “Sum” or “We”/”Us”).;

“User(s)” or “you” means (a) user(s) and/or visitor(s) of the Website;
“Website” means the website reachable via the following primary URL: www.sum.be; “Personal Data” means all information allowing the identification of an individual such as a name, telephone number, (email) address, username or password; 
“Affiliate” means any company that is part of the Sum group of companies.
 

2. Controller

The Controller of Personal Data collected and processed pursuant to the present Privacy Policy is SumProject, with registered offices at 1000 Brussels, Boulevard de Waterloo 90 and with company number 0422.525.565 (“Sum” of “We”).

3. Which personal data do we collect?

The following Personal Data may be collected by Sum:

• data you provide to us via the Website or any other communication means, such as, without being limited thereto, your name, (email) address, phone number, financial (invoicing) details, username and/or password;

• details with regard to your visit of the Website, such as traffic and profile data.

4. The confidentiality of your Personal data

Every time you submit Personal Data to us, we shall handle the same in accordance with this Privacy Policy and our legal obligations regarding the processing of Personal Data. Sum will do its utmost to make sure that your Personal Data are duly protected. With a view to this, we establish reasonable procedures to secure and protect the data we collect via the Website. In this way, Sum strives to prevent illegal processing of your Personal Data as well as any unintentional access to, loss or use of your Personal data.

Sum optimizes and ensures the security and confidentiality of your Personal Data by:

• using encryption where it is appropriate;

• using password protection;

• limiting access to your Personal Data (for example, only to Sum employees and agents who need your data for the purposes as described in the present Privacy Policy).

Where you are asked to register as a User, Sum invites you to help us with the security of your Personal Data by avoiding the use of obvious passwords and usernames, by changing your password on a regular basis and by making sure that you do not share your username, password or other details with others nor store the same in an insecure manner or place.

5. How do we collect your Personal data?

Sum may receive or otherwise collect your Personal data in the following instances:

• when you create an online account as a User or otherwise submit documents or data to us via the Website;

• when you subscribe to a newsletter or other communication or notification system;

• when you file a remark or complaint or ask for information;

• when you call or (e)mail us or correspond with us via another way than the Website.

We may combine the Personal Data we collect via this Website with information you provide to us in another way or which third parties provide to us. We may retain this information in a combined database or in several separate databases.

We keep your Personal Data no longer than necessary for the desired aim or for the period as determined or agreed upon, as the case may be, in an agreement or by law.

You have the right to object to the processing of your Personal Data. This right is, however, not unconditional. We shall only delete Personal Data at your request in case of a justified objection.

We avoid any collection of Personal Data which is not relevant for the Purposes as set out hereunder. 

6. What do we do with your Personal Data?

Sum may use the Personal Data it collects for the following purposes (“Purposes”):

• registering you as a User on the Website, running the Website services (including the processing of queries or requests for information or access with regard to Sum’s company, projects or services) and allowing you to use these services;

• processing and handling of possible complaints or requests;

• internal filing;

• considering employing or otherwise contracting with you if you have provided information in the framework of an employment or other solicitation or vacancy.  

All above-mentioned considerations are applicable in the same manner to the use of your Personal Data by any Affiliate of Sum for the Purposes.

7. What with anonymous data?

When you visit the Website, Sum may automatically collect technical information (which cannot identify you). For example: the domain name of another website that you used to get access to the Website. Sum collects such information to understand the browsing, navigation and user preferences of the Users of the Website.

These data will be used for internal purposes only, in order to allow Sum to investigate overall demographic data, behavior and interests. Anonymous or generic data such as this does not enable personal identification of a User and as such is not considered to be Personal Data and for that purpose does not fall under the scope of this policy.

8. To whom do we communicate your personal data?

Sum will not communicate your Personal Data as a User to third parties without your permission, except:

• to Affiliates;

• when such communication is necessary in order to permit Sum’s employees, agents, subcontractors, suppliers or partners to provide a service or accomplish a task for you in the name of Sum (including providing technical or support services), to administer or manage your subscription, deliver any services in the name of Sum at this time or in the future, or when necessary in any other way to perform an agreement entered into with you;

• to professional advisors of Sum;

• to the buyer or potential buyer of Sum’s rights and obligations related to the Website, services and/or projects of Sum;

• if necessary to pursue Sum’s legitimate interests and/or if such communication is required or permitted by law. 

As a User, you acknowledge and agree that any and all information and data you make available using a tool that makes information visible to other persons (for example blogs, forums, discussion or other pages) may be made public without restriction. Taking this into consideration, it is important that you use your common sense and take precautionary measures concerning the information you place on such tools and pages.

Every communication by Sum of your Personal Data to a carefully selected third party and/or to one of the third parties mentioned in the list above, is in accordance with the stipulations of the privacy law. Sum ascertains that stipulations are foreseen to make sure that third parties cannot use your Personal Data for other purposes than and according to the Purposes and that these parties have installed appropriate security measures.

Sum shall take all reasonable precautionary measures to ensure that its employees and associates which have access to Personal Data will process such Personal Data exclusively in accordance with this policy and their obligations under the privacy law.  

9. Direct marketing

You agree that we may use your Personal Data to provide you with information about projects and services of Sum or Affiliates, provided that you have indicated, when registering on the Website, that you wish to receive such information.

As a User, you can change your preferences regarding Direct Marketing by using the opt-out option in every direct marketing mailing or by adapting your profile or account on the Website. You can do this at any time. If you do this, Sum will not delete your Personal Data from its database, but will note your changed preferences.

10. Access to your personal data

By virtue of certain regulations concerning data protection, you may have the right to ask Sum for details concerning the Personal Data which we have with regard to you and to access the same or have them corrected (or, in some cases, deleted). If permitted by law, Sum may charge a small compensation for this service.

If you wish to do this, you can notify Sum at the address mentioned above or send an email to brussel@sum.be.

Sum kindly asks you to help to make sure that the Personal Data in our records is as accurate and up-to-date as possible. If you believe that the Personal Data submitted to Sum is incorrect or incomplete, please notify us as described above. Sum will correct or adapt your Personal Data as soon as possible.

If you have registered on the Website, you may be able to access your Personal Data and update your data in an online account. You should make sure that you update your Personal Data from the moment changes occur.

11.  Links

The Website may contain links to other websites which are not controlled by Sum. Although Sum will do its utmost to make sure that the links on the Website lead to websites which share the safety and confidentiality standards of Sum, Sum is not responsible for the protection and confidentiality of data, among which Personal Data, which you submit on other websites. Before submitting Personal Data or other information on other websites, we recommend that you proceed carefully and consult the privacy statements applicable to such websites.

12.  Cookies and Web Beacons

For certain sections of the Website, cookies may be used. Cookies are small fragments of information that we download and save on the hard disk or the internet browser of your computer. They allow the Website to recognize that you visited the Website before. With the help of cookies, Sum can find out which are the most popular sections of the Website, since they allow us to know which pages Users visit and how much time they spend consulting the same.

On the basis of these data, Sum is more capable to adjust the Website to reflect User requirements and offer a more customer-oriented experience. Thanks to cookies, Sum can for example make sure that the information that appears on your screen during the next visit to the Website is tuned in to your preferences as a User. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for more information in this regard.

13. Minors

Individuals under the age of 18 years should not supply us with Personal Data without the consent of their parent or guardian. Without such permission, Sum does not wish to receive nor save Personal Data from minors, nor process or forward it to third parties.