Stijn Van den Abbeele

"The project was already running when we took over the company in April 2022. Lingang had put together a construction team at the beginning with the contractor on the one hand and the architect, the stability office, a civil works office and the engineering study office on the other. Ingenium - which worked closely with the architect and the other engineering offices - was the Belgian point of contact and sounding board for Lingang. Because the project was already two-thirds complete when we took over, we continued this approach. Every 14 days we did attend the site meetings, but the daily follow-up lay with Ingenium."

"What is crucial for us as a builder with such a partner - who is our 'extension' on the construction site - is that they relieve us and also do what they promise to do. In this kind of project, the most important thing is to stay within budget - both of the site and of the contracting agreement - and also to respect the timing. In the tension between builder and contractor, you always have to find a balance. There are the purely contractual rules, which you want to comply with correctly, but you also have to approach the project from a technical point of view in such a way that it can be implemented effectively. Among other things, this involves proactively thinking along with and anticipating the changing site conditions, and at the same time acting correctly and unambiguously with regard to additional work. In this way, the two parties - contractor and principal - can achieve a good result. It is ultimately a human business in which you have to bring different characters together. I see ourselves as a gamekeeper in that playing field, so that everyone can do their thing. But I have seen competitor projects go wrong because of the rigid attitude of one of the two parties. Here it has worked well. Ingenium found that balance, because the yard was delivered on time and within budget."

"Of course, Ingenium was more than just a 'game-changer'. We wanted to make the original concept of the warehouse a lot more sustainable and provide the necessary flexibility to attract the broadest possible clientele. Therefore, we provided a new concept with an air-water heat pump. We gave Ingenium a number of specs, they translated that into a principle diagram and limited specifications, and then issued a tender. We checked that off with Lingang itself. Then we negotiated with a number of contractors and manufacturers, including directly, and made a choice. To fit the new concept into what was already built, a lot of calculations and arrangements had to be made. Here, too, Ingenium took the lead, for example to adjust the environmental and environmental permits. The fact that they know the local actors and regulations well was certainly an advantage for us."

"Besides being a game-changer on site and the new technical concept, Ingenium also played an important role in the sustainability story. Bopro carried out the BREEAM assessment, but Ingenium, together with the contractor, coordinated and helped realize the subprojects in that process on site. As a result, we succeeded in achieving the BREEAM Excellent New Construction label."

"We have already worked with several engineering firms over the past decades, and Ingenium is certainly among the better engineering firms in Belgium in terms of technical knowledge and expertise. But quite exceptional was the absolute record time in which they worked out that new energy concept in this project, negotiated it, converted it to an implementation file and realized it. That was truly remarkable."

"On a human level, it was nice working with Ingenium. There was definitely a click, although of course that is subjective and personal. But above all: they were bridge builders, who knew how to take the right attitude between the client, the contractors and the other parties. You want to avoid arguments, because then the balance gets lost. But you also have to be firm and resolute to guard the targets and KPIs. There was a lot of goodwill and willingness to make the project succeed. And they kept a close eye on the ball, which made it happen."

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