PL

APP and its apps

Construction
Proptech can generate benefits at every stage of an investment – regardless of whether we are talking about a spectacular project worth hundreds of millions of euros or a small project by a local developer; but unfortunately, not everyone uses such systems – says Jacek Korwin-Małaszyński, a member of the board of APP-Projekt.

Tomasz Cudowski, ‘Eurobuild Central & Eastern Europe’: I understand that proptech is often used for large projects by international construction firms with international investors. But is it profitable to use it for smaller projects?

Jacek Korwin-Małaszyński, a board member of APP-Projekt: I’d go so far as to say that any proptech system implemented in a sensible manner will bring a number of advantages and in many ways, too. For an investor this usually means projects of a higher quality and a more efficient and therefore less expensive use of capital; for a future resident or tenant it means more comfort and cheaper real estate; and for the natural environment it has huge benefits on many levels, due to such factors as the more efficient use of natural resources and the reduced carbon footprint. We are already seeing artificial intelligence being used in the design of virtually all types of buildings, including residential and office blocks as well as warehouses.

What systems does APP-Projekt use on a daily basis?

Our group has been using BIM for several years, and it brings advantages to both our management arm, APP-Projekt, as well as our construction company, APP-Construction. The system makes our operations run much smoother. Also, our engineers make use of a number of apps and other electronic systems during the course of their work, and this significantly shortens the time they take. The efficacy of our approach has been acknowledged by the RLB|Euro Alliance international association of engineering companies, which has invited us to join them. In Europe this organisation only has one representative in each country and in Poland it is APP-Projekt. The members of this organisation will always recommend the services of other members for their respective countries. So if, for instance, a British investor is planning a project in Poland having previously worked with an RLB representative in the UK, that company will recommend the services of their Polish partner, which is us. We are also playing an active part in the digital revolution, as led by our clients. We are managing the construction work and acting as the investor supervisor for the largest ever office project in Łódź – the React complex, which is being developed by Echo Investment and will eventually comprise 50,000 sqm of usable space and – more importantly – this project is also setting the technological trends on the market. The first office building, which is to be ready by the end of 2020, will have an energy-saving air HVAC system that is connected to automated blinds. Building users will also have a special app, which will streamline how the underground car park is used. As part of this project we also going to introduce BIM to the next few stages.

But there are obstacles to introducing proptech solutions...

The latest Autodesk’s report on BIM shows that these barriers have not changed since 2015. The problem is prices are too low for projects on the Polish market, there is little awareness of its benefits among investors and a lack of common standards. According to Autodesk, what is needed to increase the use of BIM in Poland is mainly to raise awareness among investors, to develop common standards for Poland and to change legal regulations. Everyone speaks BIM in the world we operate in on an everyday basis, but when we take part in a tender or bid for projects, ordering parties can still be dismissive about this digital approach. “BIM? That will never work,” is what we hear. But we are of a very different opinion.

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