Ten Brinke - Stories

Ten Brinke is a committed organisation, and we’re not just committed to our partners, but also to the wide range of projects we work on. “And that's where we hit the nail on the head", says Hinke Bessem. “Our commitment to a project puts us in a better position to gauge what people really need. For example, we build projects for young families with children and also pay attention to homes that stay liveable throughout a person’s life.’’

Keppeloord City Park

Stadspark Keppeloord in Doetinchem is one of the projects where Ten Brinke is doing just that. ‘‘Unprecedented changes are taking place within the market. Many first-time buyers are struggling to buy a home, let alone finding a suitable place to live for the long term. It was an issue that we just had to tackle. Ten Brinke always strives to make neighbourhoods as liveable as possible, so we did the only thing we could do: talk to all relevant stakeholders. The result is a blended neighbourhood that’s home to various different types of homes.’’

“By the time we’re finished, you’ll find starter homes standing shoulder to shoulder with semi-detached properties, detached homes and lifelong homes”, Hinke explains. “We encourages locals to participate in the process, listened to their needs & wishes and incorporated them in our plans. This project lives and breathes diversity. Apart from a wide variety of different homes, this area is also home to lush greenery.”

“Our main goal with this project was to create a place where you could buy your first home as a starter and, if you wanted to, stay until you needed to move to a home more suited to elderly people”, she continues. “Locals and residents from nearby communities want lifelong housing options. We are building an area in which you can build a life, regardless of how old you are or what stage of life you are in. The possibilities are endless. We found demand and catered to it. Together, we can make dreams come true - that’s what we’re committed to.”

Safety in the construction industry: it sounds so self-evidently important. However, there is still much to be learned. We spoke to Alberto Montero Martin about safety. Alberto works for the Ministry of Health and Safety in Spain and Portugal, specialising in occupational risk prevention, but is also committed to creating a safe workplace for Ten Brinke.

Alberto maps out the risks of a construction project, creating safety guidelines and setting up preventative measures for colleagues, subcontractors, and anyone else involved in the project. ''For us this is a matter of course. Through my years of experience in risk prevention, I know that Ten Brinke puts much effort into and investments in collective safety measures.”

Alberto continues: ''It is impossible to guarantee 100% safety, of course, but you can minimise the chance that an accident will happen. Safety should be the number one priority. Ten Brinke, fortunately, thinks the same way, which is one of the reasons why it strives for more industrialisation. A higher degree of industrialisation simply allows for more certainty and control because it makes it easier to plan processes and reduces the likelihood of anomalies.”

A safe work environment

Finally, Alberto speaks up about Ten Brinke's vision and philosophy: "Any organisation with such vast experience certainly has a bright future ahead of it. Like the other branches, our current goal in the area of risk prevention is to create more efficient procedures to achieve constant improvement.’’

Time and time again, we prove that our core value of ‘competency’ is very much alive in our organisation. At Ten Brinke, we care deeply about offering everyone the room to develop and suggest new initiatives, as this is how we can help accelerate careers and pursue constant innovation ourselves. All in all, room to develop fosters growth at the personal level and at the team and organisational level as well. It’s a win-win-win situation! We spoke to project leader Edwin van Herwaarden, asking him about competence at Ten Brinke.

One of the strengths

As a project leader, Edwin sees himself as a flag bearer: “We’re great at managing projects, which is reflected in how we work. Working with our German colleagues, for instance, taught us to work with a certain system to precisely map out the work to be done by all the various contractors and subcontractors involved. After an internal test with a small group of people we decided to adopt the same system to involve our colleagues and partners in the project process.”

“Ten Brinke’s most defining feature is its workforce. We’re curious and eager to learn, so we’re always sharing new knowledge and experiences on matters professional and personal. That’s exactly how projects like this one are picked up and adopted more widely”, Edwin concludes.

“Competence is something you create together. By bundling everyone’s unique knowledge and skills, you improve as a unit. As a result, you perform at an ever higher level, with all team members encouraging each other to put in the full 100%. We couldn’t do this if we didn’t have the space to explore our strengths and develop them, so you could certainly say that we wouldn’t be where we are today without this core value.”