19th Apr 2023

Team Spotlight: Martyna – Pre-Construction Manager

It’s time to go behind the scenes once again as we bring you another team spotlight. This month, it’s our Pre-construction Manager, Martyna Paluszkiewicz, here to tell you about herself, her role, and life at Blueprint Interiors.

Hi Martyna, Tell us a little bit about your role

I’m the Pre-Construction Manager at Blueprint Interiors. I am involved in the early stages of projects through to completion, mainly focusing on making sure that we’re getting the best value for the project and that it’s completed on time.

The first stage is procurement, then I deal with contractors, negotiators, scope of works and everything else that we can do to prepare the project before we actually hit the site so it’s the most ready it can be. On site, I go and do the surveys and site meetings and I’m normally involved throughout the whole project.

What has been your favourite project to be a part of?

I’m relatively new to the Blueprint team so I haven’t been involved in too many projects yet, but Worldline was one of the first projects I’ve done here. It was a huge project in general and for Blueprint, so it was a new experience for everyone, and I really enjoyed working with all the clients and subcontractors. I liked how the design had lots of technology invested into it so it was great to see that type of project.

The immersive suite was really amazing and unlike anything I had done before, and it’s been great to see the client using it in ways we never even imagined.

What is your favourite part about working at Blueprint Interiors?

I think the people and the deeper connection they have with what they’re doing. There is a real relationship that’s created with the clients, and we really listen to what they need using our expertise to change their mindset slightly, and explain what could be even better in their workplace environment. It’s quite an innovative approach to workspaces as well.

It’s really great to be a part of something that you feel is not only building furniture or your standard office, but it’s more about giving people a better workspace, a different mindset and a different approach to working through our workplace consultancy too.

What is your favourite area of WorkLife Central?

In general, I love WorkLife Central as a whole! There are great spaces to be able to collaborate and then go off and hide in a pod to have a small meeting or focus when you need to. It’s really versatile when it comes to different types of work.

One of my favourites has to be the kitchen area. It’s got great coffee (I’m a big fan of coffee), but it also has a really nice and friendly atmosphere. It’s easy to just go and chat and have lunch with a friend. I also like going upstairs where you have more desks and that’s really good for working, but at the same time you don’t feel like you’re separate from everyone.

What is your favourite part of the fit-out process?

For me, it’s when the project hits the site. That’s when everyone is on their tiptoes and making sure everything’s running smoothly. You have to react quite quickly to all the changes and any issues that come with that. You also need to negotiate constantly with contractors and clients just to make sure that it runs smoothly, and the site meetings are always fun as well.

What is the best lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?

If I had to summarise, it would be that information and communication are the most important values. This is because it’s extremely easy to assume that someone understands something the same way as us, but that’s normally not true. You must listen to the other side and make sure that you know everyone understands the process, what we’re doing, the plan and what it’s going to look like.

There’s no such thing as too many questions, silly questions, or too much information! This can be said for every project I’ve worked on. If you can get as much information and share it with everyone and make sure everyone understands it the same way – you’re already halfway there!

What’s a fun fact about you that people might not know?

I actually used to work as a journalist for a local newspaper and I really enjoyed it. I did quite a few interviews and I was interviewed on a panel. I really enjoyed it and we had quite a few readers, over 2000. I changed career paths because I was looking for something more challenging and I quite like processes and negotiations, so I moved from being a journalist to this industry. I also love walking and going on mountain trips, and I try to climb Snowdon every year.

Meet the rest of the Blueprint Interiors team

Keep an eye out for more behind-the-scenes content about our team on social media. Or, take a look at our people page if you can’t wait until then!