On the same wavelength

Area and property developer AM has been involved in several joint projects with Bouwinvest. Ronald Huikeshoven believes the two companies have got to know each other better and better over the years. "Bouwinvest is a professional organisation with an ambition and vision on the residential real estate front that is totally in line with how AM works. We are very much on the same wavelength. This is also clear from the partnership the two companies have forged over the years. You may agree on the content, but this does have to show up in the cooperation. If you find that you complement each other’s strengths and that you can communicate easily, you can forge a sustainable and pleasant partnership.”

Respect and teamwork

Huikeshoven believes the sustainable partnership with Bouwinvest is founded on respect and cooperation as a team. “It is based on openness and mutual understanding of the various interests involved. The moment everyone tows that line, you are working on a sustainable partnership and that is what AM and Bouwinvest bring to the table. Sustainable also means that you think about the future together. What are your views of the residential market of the future; what new housing requirements are likely to emerge and what will new products look like? And how can you continue to complement each other’s strengths?”

Greater than the sum of its parts

This sense of ‘complementing each other’s strengths’ has to be shared across all levels of the organisation, says Huikeshoven. “People at various levels in the organisations have to recognise the added value of the cooperation and think about the best way to realise that added value. We have noticed that, as organisations, we know how to communicate with each other and complement each other. It has resulted in enormous reciprocal enthusiasm.”

Huikeshoven says the cooperation between AM and Bouwinvest has already yielded innovative residential products. “The Summertime project at the Gershwin location in the Amsterdam Zuidas district is the perfect example of a striking building with trendy apartments. Bouwinvest will launch those on the rental market in the coming years. Just as it did with the Rivers project in Amsterdam and the Veemarkt project in Utrecht.”