SW1 SOLUTIONS DESIGN & BUILD 026
“CHANGE MANAGEMENT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN THE DESIGN OF A NEW WORKPLACE. THERE IS NO POINT IN CHANGING THE WORKPLACE (THE HARDWARE) IF THE PEOPLE (THE SOFTWARE) ARE NOT ALSO PRIMED AND PREPARED FOR THE CHANGE. A KEY DRIVER FOR SUCCESS IS THE COMPANY’S ABILITY TO CHANGE THE EMPLOYEE’S MIND SET OF THEIR DAY TO DAY PERCEPTION OF THE WORKPLACE AND DOVETAIL THIS WITH THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.” Q: With an impressive list of clients that’s growing as we speak, how in your opinion are these choice clients attracted to the prospect of working with you and the SW1 team? A: It all boils down to our ability to put ourselves into the shoes of the client and how we are able to make them understand the solutions that we think will work for them. In the last couple of years we have noticed an increase in the incidence of the activity based workspace (ABW) where the management (of companies) does not determine where and how one should work. The activity based workplace idea is hinged on how the space suits the activity that you’re doing rather than focusing on personal spaces. When there’s a need for privacy, there is of course private spaces created for this purpose, when there is need for collaboration there are different types of spaces made available etc.. Companies that are going this route are really seeing positive improvements in employees’ engagement and productivity. An integral part of the process of creating a new office environment is change management. Change management is becoming increasingly important in the design of a new workplace. There is no point in changing the workplace (the hardware) if the people (the software) are not also primed and prepared for the change. A key driver for success is the company’s ability to change the employee’s mind set of their day to day perception of the workplace and dovetail this with the built environment. For certain companies ABW is indeed the way to go right now. Todays workplace is unique in that contains 4 generations of people, the flexibility that ABW accords is a major advantage as well as a way in which to truly optimise the usage of real estate. We always try to convince clients to think about their work flows and use this to drive their decisions on space utilisation. So, in essence what attracts clients to us is the fact that we can share with them that collaborative experience. Q: SW1 prides itself with working on projects to make a difference; setting benchmarks as it were. Would you say that this is just part of your DNA or is
it part of a mission to slowly but surely change the face of design and build? A: At SW1, we are also constantly pushing ourselves, pushing the bar higher each time and in the process, making ourselves better. Any good company would want to do that. If one were to look at all the best companies in the world, those that are respected, everyone in the company is focused on setting benchmarks, changing benchmarks and keep pushing boundaries. There is a belief that the team can do the things that they set out to do and they have the tenacity to achieve what they started. He set amazingly high standards and constantly motivated people around him to have the same attitude. At SW1, we are also constantly pushing ourselves, pushing the bar higher each time and in the process, making ourselves better. This attitude is encoded in our management system. It’s written into our key procedures and processes and we are constantly changing the way we do things; setting higher standards. We also take our ISO certifications very seriously. Whilst some may just ‘check’ boxes and consider it a done thing, we never stop improving. We actually use it to keep ourselves in check and make changes along the way. In this way, when it’s time to go for the next ISO, we would have made the necessary improvements and updates in our organisation that have effectively made us near ready for that certification; and there’s no need to play catch up. Our creative work is also very processes driven, we believe design is a process....a journey....an exploration. ISO very much governs the way we work. When we follow the workflow and methodologies, it is easier to track back our work. We have to make sure that the procedures and methods are followed, right from the brief to the handover of the projects. In that way, it is also easier to find and rectify errors as we know exactly where to look. It also helps that the system gives us a common ‘language’ (terminologies, etc.) so that we can work faster and smoother without having to explain and re-explain things during the work process. “AT SW1, WE ARE ALSO CONSTANTLY PUSHING OURSELVES, PUSHING THE BAR HIGHER EACH TIME AND IN THE PROCESS, MAKING OURSELVES BETTER.” Q: Some creative outfits like to sometimes work on projects that interest them personally – perhaps just to push the boundaries of their creativity. Do you take on such jobs occasionally even if they were not as high profile as some of your existing clients? A: Yes, we take on such challenges, one example is a boutique law firm’s office in Damansara Heights. It’s a