Allreal Romandie is responsible for real estate and project development, working alongside the general contractor Roof. The companies are managing the portfolio of yield-producing properties in western Switzerland, working on projects from the newly acquired development reserves in the cantons of Geneva and Vaud, and completing construction projects for Allreal’s own portfolio, for onward sale or on behalf of third parties. This means that Allreal’s tried-and-tested business model with its two divisions – Real Estate and Projects & Development – is being applied to western Switzerland too.

Until June 2022, all the companies and teams were working in one commercial building near Geneva Airport in Cointrin. The employees were spread out over multiple floors throughout the building, which made it difficult for them to communicate and work together as one team with a shared culture. As a result, the available space no longer met the needs of the workforce, which now numbers around 50 employees. Not to mention that Allreal was renting the space – far from ideal for a real estate company with commercial properties of its own right there in Geneva.

Ticking every box

One of the commercial properties Allreal acquired as part of the transaction in October 2021 was the building at Route de Saint-Julien 198 in Plan-les-Ouates. Having been built in 2018, it has excellent transport links and spaces with plenty of natural light and a flexible layout. “We used transparent materials to divide up the various office and meeting spaces and added some warmth with wooden floors,” says Anne-Marie Loeillet, Head of Allreal Romandie. “Our aim was to create modern office spaces that would allow us to start managing all our teams collaboratively across the board.”

“We’re delighted with how the refurbishment work went, but the project is still ongoing,” says Kevin Ranguis, a Site Manager for Roof who was responsible for the building work before the big move. A number of challenges had to be overcome first of all, with the existing technical infrastructure in the building posing the biggest issues. “When we arrived, there was already a system in place for heating, ventilation and hydraulics. We had to replace the monobloc on the roof for the ventilation system to be able to accommodate the fitness and wellness area along with the restaurant over the coming year,” says Ranguis. All in all, he is positive about the project. “I’m pleased with the result. A lot of effort has gone into making sure that everyone will be comfortable and feel at home here. And the proximity to the major traffic routes is really handy.” And now he’s looking ahead to the restaurant opening at the start of next year. “Every box will be well and truly ticked here at that point.”

Drawing on internal expertise

Allreal occupies the spaces on the first and second floor in Building C of this six-floor office complex. Buildings A and B are not owned by Allreal. The main tenant on Route de Saint-Julien – Immosynergies Holding SA – has invested heavily in the work inside the building, with the restaurant and fitness and wellness area being two of the main projects. In other words, Allreal is a subtenant in its own building.

Various work zones have been set up around the main part of the building, including an informal meeting space, meeting rooms, individual workspaces and communal areas with a kitchen and seating. The meeting rooms with glass walls are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to make it easier to communicate directly with colleagues, suppliers, customers and authorities on video calls.

Allreal has even set up a showroom on the second floor, where interior design ideas like bathroom and kitchen fittings, door handles and floor tiles can be put on display. This provides future home owners with the opportunity to create the interiors of their dreams with qualified interior designers by their side for expert advice and guidance.

The team headed by Rebecca Nardi, which runs the showroom and takes care of customers there, was invited to share its expertise to shape the design of the new offices. “I drew up a plan that applies to every floor in the building,” says Nardi. The plan ensures that the flooring, the partition wall structures and the colours in the kitchens and bathrooms are the same throughout the building. “It was important to have a consistent scheme running all the way through to reflect the fact that we are one team working together across more than one floor and to make it easier for people to find their way around,” says Nardi. She was also put in charge of the plans for the electrics, kitchens and partition walls, which she then had to approve.

She worked closely with Anne-Marie Loeillet, Head of Allreal Romandie, on all of these decisions. “One of her priorities was for the spaces to open up different ways of collaborating and communicating,” says Nardi. “It was a huge challenge to get everything sorted in such a tight time frame – especially when you consider that we had to procure all the materials too.” It certainly helped having their own general contractor Roof on board to get the work done. “The construction site was organised down to the last detail and Roof had full control over the schedule and priorities at all times,” says Nardi, who was clearly happy with this collaboration.

Setting up for the future

The IT infrastructure was another challenging aspect of the move. The IT department in German-speaking Switzerland took care of the plans and preparation for the move. Anatole Rucheton, who is responsible for every aspect of this critical infrastructure in western Switzerland, only took over on moving day. “It was understandably full on for me at the start,” says Rucheton. “Thankfully I could rely on the full support of my new colleagues from the German-speaking part of Switzerland.” The first few days threw up countless little issues that needed to be sorted out to ensure a smooth transition. It was critical that everyone could carry on with their work. “The biggest challenges for me were quickly solving problems that came up straight after the move, managing the technology for both floors, and adapting the IT system that was already in place,” says Rucheton. “But everything worked out well.” The relatively small IT department managed to get to grips with everything quickly.

Rucheton has been handling all the IT challenges that have been coming up ever since. “I’m always on the go, providing IT support every day to ensure that my colleagues can work with their hardware. I maintain the servers, keep the systems running reliably and make sure that data is secure,” says Rucheton. Most of all, he enjoys working with his new colleagues. And he is also grateful for the fact that he has time to make a start on new projects now. “Over time, we will definitely be able to make improvements by using the tools we have even more effectively. And it wouldn’t be difficult to introduce new technology like artificial intelligence or augmented reality at the new offices,” says Rucheton with confidence. Allreal is definitely ready to face the future at its new home in Plan-les-Ouates.