While many look to make their fortune in London due to the abundance of opportunities it offers, for its part ATLANT has swum against the tide by swapping the capital for the south-east. The fact that the company has continued to thrive has vindicated the move, as Alan Jordan, Managing Director, recently outlined to Construction Industry News.
“Although I’m based in Kent and my business partners, Alex Noriev and Dimitri Kasinchuk, are located in Essex, we’d been travelling into London to carry out high-end extension and refurbishment work since 2017,” outlines Alan, who is also a fully qualified architect. “When the pandemic hit, we felt that we couldn’t continue grinding it out in London, so we switched our attention to the surrounding countryside, as we felt there were real opportunities to be had.”
This foresight has since paid off with ATLANT having completed a number of exclusive one-off house projects across Kent with a value of £1.5m and above. “We like to pick and choose projects, so they tend to be flagship developments,” adds Alan. “We don’t want to invest 18 months or two years of our time building something that doesn’t look really good at the end of it. We also prefer to build houses for clients that are ultimately going to be living in them, as they’re more willing to spend what it takes to ensure their vision is realised.”
As a consequence, ALTANT has worked on a number of stunning developments, including a luxury home in Bexhill-on-Sea with beautiful coastal views. Another significant development involved a new-build modern home in the countryside just outside Sevenoaks, which is almost entirely clad with Zinc. [photo]
While its move out of London has proven to be a successful one, ATLANT’s influence in the capital continues to make its presence felt, particularly from an industry perspective, as one of its unique developments in Dulwich has been nominated for a prestigious Brick Award.
“Working collaboratively with 31/34 Architects, who we’d worked with previously, it was one of the last house developments we carried out in London,” says Alan. “In fact, the project was the director’s own home, which was a detached house, so the client was also the architect, which was a really interesting experience.
“He chose the bricks, the way they were laid, and even selected the colour of the mortar. A great deal of respect therefore has to be given to the client in relation to the quality of the project’s design. It involved an in-situ concrete frame, complex brickwork and a full fit-out including bespoke joinery. We executed it to a high standard thanks to careful management and coordination, so we’re delighted that this has been recognised with a Brick Award nomination. We’ll find out if we’re successful in November.” [photo]
With an expanding portfolio of high quality, high value projects, it is apparent that ATLANT has hit upon a successful formula. So, what is the secret? Alan believes he may have the answer: “I view the contractors, the client and the architect as a triad, so getting all three elements working well together is vital. Being an architect myself, I’m something of a poacher turned gamekeeper, so understand where they’re coming from. Unfortunately, the priorities of the contractor and the architect can be quite far apart, to the extent that it’s almost like they’re talking a different language. For a successful project you really need to achieve the combination of practicality and aesthetics.”
Having demonstrated the ability to strike this balance, and with potentially more award recognition on the horizon, there’s no need for ATLANT to change how it operates too much, as it begins to turn its attention to its future prospects.
“The main objective is to have slightly less work but of bigger value. If we can get to the point where we’re building a single house for £5m across two years, that would give us more time to concentrate on other parts of our business. We are in the process of starting a Design and Build company with a prestigious architect practice in the South-East. Ultimately we want to offer our clients a full turn-key service within the luxury residential sector.”
By focusing on quality, ATLANT’s reputation is sure to continue growing and lead to further work across the various companies within the group.
Image: Eastwood Farm by MortonScarr (Copyright Jim Stephenson 2024).