HOW DID YOU BECOME THE PROJECT DIRECTOR?
My interest in construction and construction projects dates back to my childhood. A construction project was started opposite my home and I was simply fascinated by its progress and daily advancement until its completion. I could have studied architecture, but I am more pragmatic and technically curious, so I preferred a training suited to the very act of construction. I am a civil engineer, I graduated from the Ecole supérieure d’ingénieurs des travaux et de la construction (ESITC). I worked for many years in general businesses in Switzerland before yielding to a desire for a new professional challenge. I joined the Comptoir Immobilier Group in 2017.
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN CI CONSEILS ?
My role is to advise and assist private or institutional Project Owners at all stages of the development of their project. Therefore, first of all, my job consists of assisting them in making a statement of their needs in order to address them as best as possible. In order to do this, special attention is paid to the conceptual and technical aspects, as well as the property and legal aspects, in order to provide complete assistance and high-quality service.
It is important to listen to Project Owners because that helps to know and address their interests and to guarantee them to all project actors, particularly the multidisciplinary teams of agents.
Technical knowledge, organization and planning skills and especially anticipation are indispensable. It is also essential to know how to communicate and show discernment. One needs to be confident in one’s abilities and in other actors and to be confident of life. Contingencies and unforeseen circumstances are common in the development of a project and building this confidence makes it possible to remember that we have at our disposal all the resources for addressing all challenges in order to achieve our goal: the success of the project and the satisfaction of the project owner.
THE CITIES ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING A RAPID TRANSFORMATION. WHAT WILL BE THE ROLE OF PUBLIC AREAS?
There role is increasingly central in projects. These shared spaces create the link between residents and the built spaces in order to ultimately bring abut the birth of a neighbourhood identity. It is the reason why special attention must be paid to their design. Every project has its own specific issues, but there are strong trends which are based on the three pillars of sustainable development. The wellbeing of users, the sense of belonging to a neighbourhood, respect for the fauna and flora, blending in with the surrounding environment and mobility issues are some of the vital issues which are taken into account in the design
of spaces. Every project owner makes use of these issues and others, taking into account the environment of the neighbourhood and the needs of the local population in order to achieve a high-quality and suitable project. It is with respect to all these variables that the management of such a project differs from that of an apartment building because it is indispensable to address the multiple and diverse needs and preferences of future users.
WHAT ARE THE PECULIARITIES OF PUBLIC SPACE DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT FOR SUCH A PROJECT BELLE-TERRE?
The main peculiarity is in the interactions between public spaces and the different related projects located around the neighbourhood. Therefore, numerous variables have to be taken into consideration, including the expectations and needs of third parties in particular. For Belle-Terre, it is therefore important to have a panoramic vision in order to conduct all the necessary coordination involving both aboveground and underground aspects. A project of this magnitude requires meticulous supervision for which regular contact with all the site actors is important.