Our core values

Values are only worth something when they can be felt in practice. It is not about intentions – it is about actions.

At KI, our work rests on three core values that guide how we operate – both internally and in collaboration with our clients and partners. The values are short and simple, but they are not trivial. They place demands on the way we engage with each other and with the tasks at hand

Proactive

We act instead of reacting.

We do not wait for problems to arise – we work to prevent them. Initiative is part of our professionalism, and it shows in the way we take responsibility for moving projects forward and finding the best solutions, even when that means challenging the obvious.

• We raise questions before problems arise.
• We propose solutions before we are asked to.
• We think ahead and plan our collaboration across disciplines.
• We maintain momentum and make sure that there is a decisive answer to every issue.

Trust

We do what we say we will do.

Trust is built in the details and preserved in the delivery. It takes professionalism to be reliable, and it takes openness to maintain trust when things do not go as planned. Trust is the foundation of both our projects and our partnerships – and we build it through high professional quality, accountability and by delivering on what we promise.

• We communicate openly and directly – also when things do not go as planned.
• We listen in order to understand before we advise.
• We agree on clear expectations up front.
• We have removed unnecessary intermediaries between the engineer solving the task and the client commissioning it.
• We take responsibility for how we deliver – not just for what the contract requires.

Respect

We are different – and that is our strength.

The best solutions emerge through collaboration. We are different – professionally, culturally and as individuals – and we respect each other’s expertise and the different perspectives brought into a project. That applies internally at KI and in our work with clients and partners, because we know that the best solutions are created together.

Respect also extends beyond people. As structural engineers, we have a particular obligation to the materials we recommend – and to the society that our structures become part of.

• We acknowledge each other’s expertise and use our differences actively in the projects we work on.
• We involve the client to the extent they wish and tailor our consulting to the way they work.
• We work deliberately to reduce material consumption and to make structures more efficient.

We treat colleagues, clients and partners with the same respect we expect to be met with ourselves.

Values cannot stand on their own. They must be recognisable in concrete projects, in concrete decisions and in the way we speak with one another. That is how we deliver consulting that does not simply work – but makes a real difference.