“When building for a long future, you work to the highest standards”
To get something off the ground when everyone else sees only potential difficulties, you need to possess a combination of courage and entrepreneurship. André Snippe possesses bothembodies these qualities to a high degree, as well as a sense of what consumers consider important: ‘“Quality takes precedence over everything. The key question in everything we build is: would I like to live here myself?”
No consessions
André Snippe firmly believes that “building for the future requires high standards of quality. It all starts with looking through the eyes of the buyer. A buyer wants to be proud of his home, of its design and appearance. That's why we never compromise on quality.”
Snippe Projects has been demonstrating this affirmation for more than 25 years. And it is now in evidence in their biggest project to date: Holland Park, 2,200 apartments in Diemen: “This was a desolate and unsafe area, over 100,000 square metres of empty offices. When I bought it, everyone said it wouldn’t work. But I saw a prime location, close to the centre of Amsterdam, and knew that time would prove me right.”
When building for a long future, you work to the highest standards
Hobby
Few people are able to make things happen the way Snippe can. Thanks to his vision, courage and empathy, and to his speed of action. “This is my hobby, and I know what I want. In 2014 we began work on Holland Park, and on 1 September 2015 Minister Blok sunk the first pile. By mid 2020 it will be completed. We will be doing the same in Hoofddorp, where we're going to build the Hyde Park neighbourhood on the site of a dilapidated office park. The world renowned architect, Winy Maas, has drafted the urban plan, and prestigious international architects will design the 4,000 apartments for this area. We’re putting Hoofddorp on the map… it will be more beautiful than the Zuidas!”
Decisiveness
Snippe is no stranger to being blunt. But, if anyone has earned the right to speak, he has. The sector's challenge in the coming decades will be to build hundreds of thousands of homes, and you can talk for months about how to do it, but Snippe prefers to get down to work. Apart from this decisiveness he is also a person who likes to look left when everyone else is looking right. “I was the first to build smaller apartments. I could see there was a need for this. Now, it’s a trend. As is the sharing of facilities and the disappearance of cars from the roads, in favour of public transport and bicycles.”
Making people happy
What's the secret of this successful entrepreneur, who was awarded Real Estate Man of the Year in 2017? “Thinking ahead, doing things others don't dare to do. And trusting your gut feeling. Every disadvantage has its advantage. The positive side of growing older is that I have seen and done a lot. I know what works.”
Nevertheless, Snippe is active in a sector that, to put it mildly, does not excel in terms of progressive working methods: “It's a question of good organisation. Show clearly what you want so you can surprise people and get the neighbourhood on board and motivate them. Make decisions quickly, maintain your vision, be stubborn and push for what you want. Create, craft and continue. If you take everything personally, you'll never get anywhere. Definitely not in this business. I have been an entrepreneur for thirty years, and I know that to achieve my goal, it’s important I don’t let things get to me. And that is my goal: create things that make buyers happy.”
