September 2017

22 APAC / September 2017 , “We work in a collaborative culture, where although roles and processes are clearly defined, each team member has the initiative and is willing to step up and help where required. Our employees have open communication channels and access to management, to obtain guidance and support where needed. “In the future, we do forecast growth in the Asia Pacific Region as well as specifically in the South East Asian markets. We will be expanding our operations to service the growing demand and client base in both of those regions. “Hong Kong continues to be a key driver for our growth, despite increased competition from new industry players and the market saturation of brands. To adapt to changing market conditions, we are continually investing in our people, whether we find ourselves in either boom or lull periods. This is to ensure that we continue to satisfy the requirements of our loyal clients, as well as to prepare the team for more demanding periods, where both service and quality should not be compromised. “The brand equity and reputation that the team has built over the decades has maintained Legend’s advantage and resulted in good long-term relationships with our clients. Another factor to address involves our clients’ having more pressure to be increasingly budget efficient. Hence besides our people, we have invested in technology, research and building up our partners to ensure our whole ecosystem works together to enable savings and value to be tangibly passed on to our clients.” Anthony then impresses upon us how the firm stays ahead of emerging developments and the challenges they have had to overcome to be successful in the Asia-Pacific region. “The growth of the mid-scale market whether in retail, hospitality or other commercial projects. We are constantly improving and working to deliver impeccable quality at a competitive price point. “We have built up a close network of collaborators in the varying fields of design, construction, property development and consultants. By keeping a close relationship with these experts, we can prioritise our R&D efforts, to pre-empt the requests or requirements that our clients may have. “A key challenge has been identifying, training and building up a strong team of partners, in lesser developed Asia Pacific regions, bringing them up to the standards demanded by clients. Having trained and built up a team of experts within Legend who share our core values, time and resources have been invested in training and equipping them with the knowledge to deal with specific local challenges.” When undertaking a new project, Anthony tells us the steps the firm takes to ensure the clients receives the best possible outcome. “The ultimate outcome would entail delivering a high-quality masterpiece, showcasing the intricacies of design intent, while keeping the costs low and delivering on time. Such an end-result does not happen only by excelling in the actual building process of the project but rather it begins much earlier on. Upon receiving the brief from the client, concept or technical drawings, our project, quantity surveying and operations teams evaluate them. They work out the highest quality, cost-effective configurations, materials sourced from our partners and the corresponding layout options. “This is to mitigate any unexpected hidden costs, that could crop up from a lesser trained eye. Upon cross checking and comparisons of solutions using the expertise of our regional teams where relevant, the Legend team puts together a tender package for submission. This takes into consideration the client’s budgetary requirements; optimal operation plans and the use of local resources where possible. “To ensure the best quality-cost ratio, our key project managers can make recommendations on improvements or client savings to be made, by using different construction methods or materials. We believe in being transparent in our management of cost, so each line-item is clearly documented and specified.” Upon the awarding of the project, the firm’s on-site managers are activated to inspect the site and to have a first-hand experience of the actual canvas. This helps them to understand the unique characteristics and to highlight potential challenges as well as corresponding solution strategies. Anthony concludes by sharing his thoughts on the final stages of design development, including the ongoing support they provide for them even after a project is signed off. “Based on the site investigation and preliminary analysis, shop drawings, scaled models, material finishes and sample boards are provided to give accurate projections of the result. Design development does not proceed to the next phase until our clients are satisfied and can see their vision coming to fruition. Upon the client’s approval and final internal checks, the process of fabrication commences. It is during this phase where extensive quality checkpoints must be achieved, before any approval is given to move forward. “Once we are given the green light to proceed with a site takeover, the dedicated onsite project manager that had been overseeing the project since the beginning is assigned to oversee the team on overall construction management, logistics, interfacing with the client and the final buy off. This is pivotal to ensure that overall objectives are aligned and client’s requirements are always kept close at bay. “Only upon completing all the checkpoints in each of the above phases, will we proceed to seek client sign off. As our priority is building long-term relationships with our valued clients, a handover does not conclude our service with them. By remaining available to our clients, we offer ongoing support and practical solutions wherever possible. “Finally, it is also imperative to check in with them at various stages after project completion to understand how the boutique, store, residential development, hotel is doing to gather insights on how we can potentially add value in our next collaboration together – be it in the development of design details to overall experience of the spaces.”