People and Systems Matter
Among this year’s sponsors of the OAA Conference is Steni and U-Kon, providers of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) facades and subsystems. Its experts are sharing this advertorial with OAA members:
We love collaboration.
Systems matter, and their fit to projects matter. People matter too.
Let me tell a story. A project went out for tender and I, an agent for ventilated facades who thinks, like our slogan, “high-performance facades should not be left to chance,” was late. But, despite being late, I saw the job, called the architect, and had a friendly chat. I asked if he was open to feedback. I took a risk and shared what was on my mind.
He told me the cladding that was specified. There was a mish-mash of different materials, sizes and costs. Then, he told me who was bidding; I quickly looked up the two I did not know.
My forecast? The installer with likely the least experience was going to win the project with the least-expensive product that came in only one size. A quick calculation said the waste factor was going to be high.
Lo and behold—I was pretty dead on. The installer also missed things in his quote, and he walked.
A call comes in: “What can you do?”
A simple subsystem engineering, panels that can be ordered to the length they are needed, and great trust with one of the original bidders …. And the project is close to budget. Yes, GC and the client needed to help too.
What would have happened if this was done at the beginning? Worth getting the right people on the bus, eh?
At the OAA Conference in Niagara Falls, we’ll be showing innovations from Norway with great sustainability statistics, innovative ordering processes, crazy colours and finishes. AND in
complete systems. You can’t design great things without confidence great things will happen. We’ve got some other tricks up our sleeves too. See us at Conference.