ONSITE SYNERGY: RELATIONSHIPS ARE KEY SAYS DEVELOPER

Brevity were recently engaged to work on Alex’s latest project, the Habitat Apartments. As our first project with Alex, we were the newcomers to his team. Alex reckons most of the contractors he has working for him are people he’s worked with before. He describes himself as a bit of a stickler for getting the right people. Once you have proven yourself – you are in. It swings both ways, when you are in the team, you are looked after. Trust is very important to Alex and he ensures that his actions foster trust for everyone involved in his projects.

Alex’s care for people goes beyond his team. During the construction of the Habitat Apartments, a section of road was closed. It had an impact on a local hospitality business who approached Alex and requested some help with signage to show they were still open. This was organised, but Alex appreciated business would still be slow. He took the site team down regularly for the world famous (in Aotearoa) chicken wings and beers with the twin objective of boosting the local business and shouting his hard workers a well earned snack.

Alex genuinely likes connecting with people. He also likes to be hands on and wouldn’t have it any other way. During a construction project, Alex will be on site every few days. He might be easy company, but he’s also an astute businessman. “You can’t pull a fast one on me,” he laughs. “I want to build quality, I want it to be architecturally pleasing. Quality comes when you check every truckload of concrete, when you inspect everything – and you don’t cut corners.”

As a result, good people are keen to work on quality projects where their expertise is recognised, and Alex’s team gets stronger by the project.

Brevity stood out to Alex from the get go. Having worked with many engineers over the years, he has a feel for how much work and responsibility goes into a design. There’s the challenge of ensuring a design meets the regulatory requirements, and the solution is not always straightforward. He understood the hours put into the designs by Brevity’s lead engineer Suryaraj Salunkhe and when a fast turnaround was needed, he appreciated the urgency that was applied.

Part way through construction, Auckland went into lockdown. Alex appreciated Brevity’s ability to pivot quickly and provide remote inspections. The use of video conferences and a strong documentation process (well honed through previous lockdowns) meant delays were avoided and the project could continue. “Bloody God’s Gift” was Alex’s description of the remote technology. Suryaraj had already established good relationships onsite and so it was an easy transition to move these online.

Relationships are so important on a project such as the Habitat Apartments. Building trust is vital, and Alex was very happy with the way Sury was able to do this with the subcontractors. He listened to their suggestions and took them onboard. Sury was able to adjust his designs in ways to make it easier for the installers. This sort of collaboration builds trust and respect, and it makes a difference to the project.

For future projects, Alex has BVT at the top of his list for seismic design. He does have one learning however. Next time, he says, he’ll get Brevity involved at the design stage of the build. “I’m not one for the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff” he says. “It makes more sense to get their expertise earlier in the project and to use it throughout.”

From Brevity’s perspective, the team loved working with Alex Khera and all the teams involved in the Habitat Apartments. We are looking forward to the next one! If this is the type of the engagement you’d like with your next project, then please contact us below.’.