Here at Ockham, we’re committed to creating beautiful, thoughtful and long-lasting buildings. To achieve that, we need to have an exceptional construction team making sure every aspect of the building is perfect from the ground up.

Under the expert management of Ben Gibbens, Ockham Construction has completed 788 stunning apartments – 119 across three buildings at Tuatahi; 32 at Modal; 95 at Kōkihi; 32 at The Nix; 14 at Koa Flats; 117 at Aroha; 39 at Aalto; 210 at Manaaki; 93 at The Greenhouse; and 37 at Kōanga.

“There’s a huge advantage to being a genuinely vertically integrated development, design and construction business,” says William Deihl, CEO of Ockham Residential. “We’re really nimble. We can go from the land acquisition and design concept phase through to the construction phase in a very streamlined way.

“Our in-house architectural team benefit from having a construction team there who can provide expert cost and buildability advice throughout the design development, which makes for a much smoother and less risky construction phase. And, of course, we benefit hugely from the quick response to any of our design queries. This is particularly important for Ockham as all of our designs are stunning, extraordinary and detailed.”

Making great buildings. Building an epic team

Ockham Constructions’ COO Ben Gibbens agrees that having early access to project designs is integral to Ockham Construction’s success, particularly during a time of global supply chain issues.

“We have real visibility into all of the projects Ockham has on the horizon. This, in turn, provides assurance to our construction partners that they can rely on us to continue to provide a consistent flow of work. We have strong long-term relationships with all of our subcontractors. Because we trust them as our partners, and work with them time and again, we’re confident that they are always working tirelessly on our behalf with their own suppliers to mitigate any price increases.”

Ben says having everyone inhouse also cuts through a lot of irritating red tape. “The construction industry has long been very contractual and adversarial. Because we’re all on the same team at Ockham, we spend more time improving our design and construction methods, and less time on the contractual nonsense that slows up the industry, which means work is much more enjoyable!”

As such, Ockham Construction are lucky enough to have a number of staff who have been with the company since Tuatahi was built, including William and Ben. A standout team member, Victoria Martinez, has worked her way up to being a crane operator after working for Ockham as a cleaner at Kōkihi. “Vic was keen to trade in the polish and mop for the high-vis and hard hat,” says Ben. “So we gave her a go. She’s smart, fiercely well-organised and thinks way ahead. She’s worked incredibly hard. We’re very lucky to have her.”