“Collaboration and coordination are part of our very identity,” says Pieter Vanhout, Managing Director of Ciril. This translates into considerable time investments for consulting with local residents and authorities before submitting a permit application for a new project. “This helps us avoid complaints but, regrettably, we still sometimes encounter the more undemocratic side of the system.”

Ciril is a developer of primarily urban projects and is part of the Democo Group, with boasts a family shareholder structure. Thanks to its diversity, this group of construction companies can offer customers total solutions, from general contracting to companies that install and maintain technical units to a finishing company. “Our intense collaboration lets us serve the entire chain.”

Collaboration

Collaboration and coordination with others is an integral part of Ciril’s DNA. “In urban projects in particular, it is absolutely essential to get everyone on board.” This collaboration translates into quite a few sustainable and innovative projects. “With large-scale projects, we monitor, for instance, the groundwater that we pump up and make it available to the neighbours, the municipal landscaping department or local companies. To address parking issues in the area around our city projects, we work together with a parking company that offers the newly created private parking spaces as public parking when not in use. For local residents, it is nice to be able to offer parking to their visitors.”

Strengthening the urban weave

Due to the nature of the projects, Ciril can help strengthen the urban weave of city centres. “We often redevelop older, closed enclaves like a school, hospital or barracks in the city centre. We open up these ‘closed islands’ by creating passages for cyclists and pedestrians, often in combination with a park of square that is also open to neighbourhood residents. This lets us contribute to the social sustainability of neighbourhoods.”

Environmental permits

Ciril also has to deal with application procedures for environmental permits – with all the accompanying advantages and disadvantages. Coordination and collaboration are also key here. “We invest a tremendous amount of time in the process prior to the application. We use that time to talk to the neighbours and inform them about the project, and we try to integrate and accommodate their concerns and needs as much as possible in the project. We do the same with the authorities, local retailers and other parties involved. This lets us avoid objections after the application has been submitted.

Company culture

Collaboration and coordination are also reflected in the company itself. The Democo Group was even voted one of the ‘Best Workplaces 2021’ this year. “Our people are our most important strengths. Together we focus on values like ‘integrity’, ‘commitment’ and ‘more than quality’. We conduct regular employee surveys and translate areas of concern into goals, which we then keep top of mind through a monthly dashboard with KPIs. We also play sports and celebrate milestones together. This healthy mix is highly appreciated and has been rewarded with the Best Workplace designation!”
 
Read the interview with Pieter below.