How does strategic partnership work in practice? An interview with Bartłomiej Oset, vice president of NDI Development.
Each investment consists of countless decisions - from the selection of competent design teams, to the selection of contractors, to the finishing and interior design. Wrong decisions can cost investors not only a lot of time, but also money, and relying solely on one's own knowledge can be risky, sometimes leading to costly mistakes. Strategic partnerships prove to be the key to gaining an edge in this field. We talk to Bartlomiej Oset, vice president of NDI Development, about how cooperation with Samsung translates into investment efficiency.
Ready-made solutions rarely meet all expectations - each construction project is a unique project that brings its own challenges, but also unique opportunities. Technologies available on the market can be bought by anyone, but it is the solutions tailor-made and wedded by specialists that allow you to stand out from the competition. Flexibility, experience and long-term cooperation turn out to be key - and these are the main advantages of strategic partnerships. Bartlomiej Oset, vice president of NDI Development, understands this advantage very well, and in his investments he consistently relies on cooperation with Samsung, which helps equip his properties with the latest technologies, perfectly matched to the conditions of the facility and the expectations of customers.
Jagiellońska 13 investment, Gdansk
© NDI Development
Don't buy technology - choose a partner who will help you develop your business
Przemyslaw Ciępka: Jagiellońska 13 is an example of an investment tailored for the 21st century. What modern technologies, especially from under the SMART sign, have you used in this building?
Bartłomiej Oset: It is worth starting not so much with the technologies, but with the purpose of their use. We reach for the latest technologies in residential construction to meet the needs of our customers. Samsung, our strategic partner, has been involved in the process from the very beginning of the project. We meet with our partner's experts at the start of the project, when we talk about the target groups and look for tools that will allow customers to enjoy the property even more. As part of our cooperation on the Jagiellońska 13 project, we used, among other things, state-of-the-art consumer electronics and home appliances for the interiors. We also adapted technological solutions for the reception of premises, implementing with Samsung an electronic signature for acceptance documents. We also integrated the SMART building management application so that residents can access their unit, common areas and book individual rooms using a single tool.
Przemysław Ciępka: Common spaces are a key element of premium investments. Today, this segment is defined not only by set-up apartments and high-quality finishing materials, but also by functional common areas that support the integration of residents and diversify the ways they use the building. What technologies play a role in creating them?
Bartlomiej Oset: Each group of clients expects different elements of equipment for common areas. When creating the Jagiellońska 13 project, we aimed to create an ideal environment for people who want to buy their target apartment. For this group of buyers, opportunities to establish relationships, especially neighborhood ones, are extremely important. In the past, deep neighborly relationships were the norm in multifamily buildings. In new housing developments, residents very often become anonymous. We wanted to remedy this, and to this end we created a wide range of common spaces. We started by creating a neighborhood club, offering a space for organizing a small neighborhood meeting, with a TV, billiards and foosball, a kitchenette or a playroom for children. We have also realized a common lobby having the character of a public cafe with a biophilic design style decor. This place allows for the functioning of estate coworking - a space where one can plug in a computer and work together with other residents. There is also a teaching and conference room. The last common area in Jagiellońska 13 is a terrace on the roof of the building, functioning as a chillout space where residents can enjoy the view of the Gdansk Bay.
Jagiellońska 13 investment, Gdansk
© NDI Development
Przemyslaw Ciępka: What role do modern technologies play in these spaces?
Bartłomiej Oset: Thanks to the strategic partnership, we asked experts from Samsung to think about the topic - how to make every customer appearing in shared spaces feel that they can organize their time easily and conveniently. Samsung found a great tool for us, with which residents can easily personalize these spaces, share music and videos or plan and organize events. In addition, an intuitive user manual was created, available both offline and online. Thanks to it, any newcomer can start using the facilities offered without stress.
Przemyslaw Ciępka: Your cooperation with Samsung was not a one-off - it started with Jagiellońska 13, and now you are working together on Slaska Eight. How do these projects differ in terms of the solutions used? How did the partnership with Samsung influence this?
Bartłomiej Oset: Slaska Osiem is being built for a completely different target group - there, the owners of the units are buying them in order to run short- and medium-term leases in them. So the building will function like a high-end hotel facility. For such a project, we needed different solutions, ones that would provide a chance to personalize communication between the reception and the rooms. After consultations, Samsung offered us hotel TV solutions, so that when guests enter the premises, they will see their name on the screens, as well as information about the possibility of using various services. Samsung is also helping us with security - with the help of the company's experts, we will try to synchronize access control to the premises, as well as make it possible to manage interior temperatures. This will help reduce energy consumption.
Jagiellońska 13 investment, Gdansk
© NDI Development
Przemyslaw Ciępka: You can see, as if on your hand, how big the benefits are for the residents. On the other hand, I would like to ask what the strategic partnership with Samsung can offer investors.
Bartłomiej Oset: A whole range of elements that place the offer on a higher level. Each of us has probably experienced the embarrassment of operating a rental property during the vacations. Samsung helps us standardize facilities. The operator, working with the investor, but also with Samsung, is looking for solutions that are repeatable, thus and easier to use by the target users. An additional advantage of such cooperation is the reduction of costs associated with the operation of facilities, and it is the costs that affect the profitability of the investment. We can reduce them by properly managing the building's energy consumption. Samsung helps us optimize the operation of equipment, which ultimately translates into lower property management costs.
Przemyslaw Ciępka: What exactly are the benefits of long-term strategic partnerships compared to one-off, ad hoc solutions of choice. What advantages in the market does such cooperation create?
Bartłomiej Oset: Strategic partnerships create an atmosphere of openness. There are a lot of users in our investments - both right after commissioning and over the subsequent years of the building's operation. We are not always able to anticipate their future needs on our own. By opening up within the framework of strategic cooperation, together with Samsung we think about what the future of the residents of our buildings will look like, what the next generation of users will be able to expect. Among other things, thanks to the experience of Samsung experts, we see that young users approach real estate quite differently. What matters to them is not always a large number of square meters - functionality, convenience and optimization of costs in relation to the possibilities offered are key. It may also turn out that the future users will not be owners, but renters. Mobility is an extremely important element for them, so the intuitiveness and convenience of the premises will be crucial. In this regard, Samsung's wide range of solutions allows us to respond to these needs.
Jagiellońska 13 investment, Gdańsk
© NDI Development
Przemyslaw Ciępka: I understand that strategic partnerships also help you avoid certain risks?
Bartłomiej Oset: Definitely yes. Many real estate users come to us from abroad and are used to completely different standards. This is valuable knowledge for us, which we can use in the development of our real estate development activities. We want to be open to these experiences and be the first to implement them in the local market to gain a competitive advantage - both for ourselves and our partner.
Przemyslaw Ciępka: So Samsung's global experience is helpful in broadening the local perspective, which you know very well. Could you characterize how the cooperation with Samsung's strategic partner goes from the investment idea, through the design and construction processes, to the handover of the property to the residents?
Bartłomiej Oset: We are known for developing projects in the premium segment, but this is not our only activity. We are also currently developing mixed-use projects - large, multi-phase developments that combine residential, office and retail functions and support the creation of new jobs. We always meet with Samsung at the beginning of our investment process, when we buy a property. We discuss prospects and opportunities, as the whole process requires a long preparation and many joint arrangements. At this stage, a team of Samsung experts - designers, engineers, specialists in modern technologies - joins the cooperation. Together we develop solutions and adapt tools and devices, not only based on Samsung's current offerings, but also taking into account products that will appear on the market in the future. Keep in mind that the implementation of our projects often takes 5 or even 10 years. Thanks to the strategic partnership, we gain access to the knowledge of innovations that are yet to be developed in Samsung's R&D departments.
Jagiellońska 13 investment, Gdansk
© NDI Development
Przemysław Ciępka: What does your cooperation look like already at the stage of project implementation?
Bartłomiej Oset: At this stage, there is a coordinator responsible for implementing various solutions or technologies. He works with our engineer on the site, making sure that all elements are in line with the needs of the selected systems and tools. Once the implementation phase is complete, we move on to the deployment phase. In each of our projects, we prepare a demonstration site available to customers. This allows them to see for themselves what their premises will look like and what amenities they will be able to use. At a later stage, we support our customers by offering them additional opportunities, such as access to special offers on a variety of products and appliances. We try to make them feel they are the beneficiaries not only of modern solutions and technologies, but also of the unique cooperation between the NDI Development and Samsung brands. This will set them apart from other customers in the real estate market.
Przemek Ciępka: So you have long-term support at key stages of the development. The real estate market is changing fast, but apartments remain for years. Does this long-term cooperation also affect how buildings function in the long term? What dangers are avoided and what are the benefits?
Bartholomew Oset: After 10 years of completion, every building is different from newly created developments. Therefore, we try to build in such a way that the lifespan of our buildings is as long as possible. We look for long-lasting technological solutions. We test and select modern technologies to fit specific investments and target groups. This allows us to check whether they actually bring real benefits, among other things, for this purpose we have developed an application implemented in our buildings, allowing us to manage the property. Thanks to this tool, we are creating communities of apartment owners who, using the application, can easily and intuitively manage common areas, monitor their technical condition and take care of regular maintenance. We hope that in the future Samsung will help us improve the tool, so that as many solutions useful to residents as possible will appear in it.
Przemysław Ciępka: Thank you for the interview!
Strategic partnership is a real advantage
True partnership is more than buying more technology. It's a long-term cooperation, enabling the selection of solutions that will work in the given conditions and will best fulfill the tasks set for them. Strategic partnership with Samsung is therefore not only access to innovative technologies, but also expert advice, joint selection of optimal solutions, their personalization and comprehensive support at every stage of the investment. It is this kind of cooperation that is the real competitive advantage.
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