Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
For years he worked in salaried employment; now he is self-employed. He likes that very much: "I now go to work whistling and come home whistling." After all these years, he has also gained a keen vision of developments in the construction industry.
On the one hand, Netten is quite critical of what he sees happening around him. "Take the BIM model. Of course BIM offers a lot of advantages, especially in complex situations. But I notice especially with young people that BIM has been canonized in their education. In other words, young professionals can't actually check flat drawings properly anymore. In my view, by just staring at a computer screen, you miss out on a lot of ready knowledge of the construction process. That hurts, for example, when checking concrete columns in a building. Not all the details of these are included in the 3D model, so they are not always checked properly either."
On the other hand, Netten is enthusiastic about developments in the industry, such as automation. "When I started, I had no computer, no cell phone and so on. Everything was done by hand. Now we have access to numerous digital tools. For example, I myself like to use Bluebeam, construction software that saves me an enormous amount of time." With digitization and time savings, the bridge to Velox - the project agency that connects professionals like Netten to clients - is easily made. Velox claims that it realizes faster and better matches through engaged consultants and smart technology, among other things. Netten couldn't agree more. "I personally value clients where I can work in a collegial atmosphere. And where they also communicate directly, so without fussing behind my back. Velox is very aware of these needs. Much more importantly, through Velox I have so far only had clients where I have been able to work in that pleasant manner."
In addition to a pleasant working atmosphere, content-related challenges are obviously important. Netten also finds that in the clients he ends up with through Velox. "For example, I am proud to have worked at a very large distribution center. This was a 50,000 m² complex along the A15 motorway, including a butcher's shop, a cold store and a freezer warehouse. The different temperature requirements of these areas made this project complicated, as did the fact that they were almost three months behind schedule when I arrived. I was able to contribute substantially to both the thermal and scheduling challenge, resulting in a satisfied client. I was the right man for this client and she was the right company for me."
