In 2013, City of Raleigh Engineering Manager Paul Kallam led a team of City plan reviewers on a tour of the Citrix building under construction at 120 S. West Street. Normally, site tours are the responsibility of an inspector, but Paul wanted his review staff to understand the challenges that inspectors can face in the field.
Recognizing the value of the tour, Paul wanted to share the opportunity with a larger audience. Soon, the tours included other members of the development process.
“It was a chance to break down the walls of the ‘us vs. them’ mentality,” he said. “Everyone could understand that we work together as a team. That includes community outreach efforts as well.”
To date, some of the tours include the L-Building, Skyhouse, Stanhope, A-Loft Hotel, Walnut Terrace, Rex Heart and Vascular Hospital, North Hills East Tower II, 401 Oberlin, Galleria at Cameron Village, and just recently the Catholic Dioceses of Raleigh. Understanding the challenges the developer and contractor face when orchestrating large-scale projects like these provides staff lessons in collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication while building compassion throughout the entire development process.
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Learn more about these tours.
