JULY 2025CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM 19As the National Director of Renovations at AMLI Residential, what are your key roles and responsibilities in managing and leading projects?As the National Director of Renovations at AMLI Residential, I oversee renovation projects nationally, approaching them from a development design perspective. This role entails collaboration with architects, engineers, construction teams, and general contractors. My primary objectives are to streamline department processes, guarantee the production of high-quality construction drawings, and supervise material selection. Throughout the project lifecycle, from initiation to completion, I closely collaborate with contractors and onsite personnel, monitoring the project's ROI, expenditures, and overall budgetary and return performance. Daily challenges involve navigating material shortages and ensuring timely material deliveries.What prevalent challenges do you observe in the market when discussing renovations and roofing systems with clients and peers?In discussions with various clients and industry peers, a predominant challenge revolves around the ongoing struggle to secure reliable contractors. The critical pain points include the quest for contractors to offer competitive pricing without compromising quality while adhering to project timelines. Reflecting on past experiences, scheduling has been particularly demanding, often hindered by delays in material acquisition and shortages in manpower.Can you share a project success story, focusing on the challenge scope, implemented best practices, and notable before-and-after scenarios?In project management, involving the contractor early in the design process has proven beneficial. Collaborating with them at critical milestones during the drawing phase allows real-time pricing checks, preventing budgetary challenges associated with wild guesses. This proactive approach minimizes scope creep and budget overruns. Having a contractor at the table is crucial because they bring construction expertise, enabling them to question design choices and assess the project's practicality. This collaborative effort ensures alignment between the design vision and budget constraints. Additionally, the contractor's industry relationships help anticipate and address material shortages, allowing for timely adjustments and informed decision-making to stay within budget and project timelines.Looking ahead 12 to 18 months, what emerging trends, whether in best practices or technology, do you foresee in the roofing systems landscape?In renovations, we have observed the impactful trend of utilizing Procore as a valuable resource. Implementing Procore in our renovation projects has significantly enhanced visibility and project tracking, providing real-time insights for all involved parties. This is particularly advantageous for national projects, facilitating seamless coordination and oversight, even remotely managing projects.Regarding roofing systems, while the trends I have discussed are more general and applicable to overall renovation and construction practices, Procore continues to stand out as a technology. Moreover, a notable trend in our industry involves the centralization of roles and services. This shift towards centralization has influenced how we design our spaces, leading to smaller onsite teams and changes in the footprint of workspaces. As roles become more centralized, there is a noticeable increase in efficiency--a trend that we and our competitors are actively adopting to enhance overall operational effectiveness.What would be your advice for your peers and aspiring professionals in the renovation space today?A key piece of advice is prioritising thorough planning, particularly when embarking on office remodels. Ensure the precision of your plans and obtain buy-in from your company's operations teams to ensure a seamless flow of spaces. Consistently implement and apply lessons learned from previous projects. While each renovation project is unique, maintaining a repository of lessons learned streamlines processes, avoiding the necessity to start from scratch each time. High-quality drawings are crucial; although scope creep is unavoidable, the objective is to minimize its impact throughout the project. While each renovation project is unique, maintaining a repository of lessons learned streamlines processes, avoiding the necessity to start from scratch each time
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