Why and how did the partnership with emproc BMP come about?
We first worked together with emproc on Yukon Bay, our large-scale project at the Hanover Adventure Zoo with a total budget of around € 37 million. Cost planning and control are always a challenge with construction projects. With emproc, we were able to precisely tailor the PROBIS cost planning tool to the requirements of the project and client, making it possible for us to create – from the initial cost estimate to the final cost statement, to the funds utilisation history – a comprehensive workflow with a high degree of cost accuracy and transparency at all times for the project developers.
It is still our goal today to realize projects from the initial concept to the construction to the handover. We strive to provide our clients the highest degree of creativity, uniqueness and quality while still providing transparency and control over the process and costs throughout the entire project period. With emproc BMP we have found the right partner for this. Since this year, we have been working together on a wide range of projects far beyond the scope of costs.
How is the partnership working out and which projects are already being developed together?
The partnership is working great. By combining the entire know-how of our two offices at an early stage, we are able to minimize inefficiencies throughout the entire process and provide professional advice and support to our clients for all services. The stated objective is a personal, flexible and goal-oriented partnership with the client.
Our most ambitious project currently is the Panda Exhibit at the Berlin Zoo given the short planning and construction time of only fourteen months and the great political importance attached to it. Early on in the planning phase, a tailor-made strategy for design, tendering, contracting and construction was developed in close collaboration with Knut Nell of emproc BMP in order to ensure that the zoo is completed on schedule.
We are also working together on a new aviary exhibit for drills and guenons at Hanover Zoo and are currently planning additional projects for 2017.
Why is it beneficial to take subtasks from the realm of project control into your own hands?
Qualified project management can provide advantages to the client especially in the case of very large projects. The project manager’s responsibilities mainly include delegated construction responsibilities in the areas of organization, costs, deadlines, quality control and contracts. With HOAI 2013, more services from cost and schedule planning areas have already been placed in the hands of architects. With our current projects in Berlin and Hanover, we go one step further and operate without external project controllers. Depending on project requirements, we offer additional project control services. These are available to the client at a reasonable cost and provide clear added value in the form of security and decision-making options. Such services often begin with task specification, which is developed together with the client in preliminary workshops in order to better clarify project tasks and the process from the outset, and also include, for example, change management and continuous cost and time reports.
