Take your work very serious, but don't take yourself too seriously

Who is Richard de Graaf?

An architect who became interested in the technical side of industry and joined the Fa?ade business (and never left).

What was your first real job and how is this experienced Richard seeing that job from this stance?

I started as a project engineer at Prince Cladding and worked there for 10 years. There were lots of young engineers and a few with lots of experience. Back then I was one of the young ones, now I'm not..

How many years of experience do you have?

24 years in the facade business?

How and when did your APS story begin and what is current role within APS?

?It started more than 10 years ago when Elvir and I worked for the same company. We stayed in touch and since the beginning of this year I work for APS as a ‘senior technical manager’.

How to introduce Fa?ade Engineering to someone who is listening about, for the first time?

?If you look at windows and curtain walls, you only see a bit of aluminium, a few gaskets and a lot of glass. But of course, there is much more to it than that.?Basically,?it is making sure that what an architect designs is really going to be build, taking into account all necessary building regulations, structural requirements, etc.?

What’s the most important professional lesson you’ve learned that can be valuable for the life in general?

Good communication. Sometimes you’re so busy with all the things you have to do, you forget to communicate with your client (or your family..).

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

There’s lots of nice projects I’ve worked on in all these years. But there’s one that stand out. Not just for the building itself, but for the story behind it. It’s the visitors centre for Kamp Amersfoort, which was a World War 2 concentration camp…

What motivates you the most?

That’s the fact that we’re really working as a team here. And that’s not PR talk.

?If you could pick up a new skill instantly, what would it be?

?Typing blind, that would save me a lot of time..

?Advice for future Engineers?

Take your work very serious, but don't take yourself too?seriously. Work hard and have?a bit of?fun?in the meantime. In the end there are more important things in life than aluminium.?

?