Projec, a junior company run by students from the Civil Engineering and Architecture and Urban Planning courses at Unicamp, achieved significant growth in the execution of projects in 2019, reaching 36 projects developed. The increase represents an increase of 11 projects compared to 2018 and has been achieved gradually, as until 2015 the company did not exceed the average of ten. One of the highlights of our work in 2019 was the work focused on the Minha Casa Minha Vida housing program, carried out for HM Engenharia.
In 2020, the construction company must implement the project in five thousand units, in the state of São Paulo, impacting housing for at least 15 thousand people. "Minha Casa Minha Vida is generally a box, very impersonal. We seek to bring innovative issues, with a slightly more visual look and maintaining a low cost, allowing low-income people to buy. The big idea was thinking about how to make people proud to live there”, says Leonardo Inhan, CEO of Projec and Civil Engineering student.
The students' performance in this work is praised by HM, which highlights their commitment to execution. “Working with Projec was our first experience with a junior company and the experience was very valuable due to the great interaction we had. We were impressed by the level of research, academic knowledge and depth of the project participants”, says Jordana Albuquerque, superintendent of People and Management at HM Engenharia.
The recognition is also seen in the evaluation of other clients: 81% of the projects received a score of nine or 10 from them. between 2018 and 2019. For Leonardo, these results are the result of Projec's experience and the desire for improvement. “We are one of the oldest junior companies in Brazil and this allows us to have a lot of experience to execute projects. What we do today is very new, but there is a lot that past administrations have learned, accomplished, delivered and that is good for us, as we already have a name in Campinas”.
Expanding operations
Currently made up of a team of 45 people, Projec aims to expand its operations in 2020, but the main thing, according to Leonardo, is to maintain the company's focus, whose mission is to positively impact people's lives, acting directly to make their dreams come true.
To achieve expansion in operations, the student explains that there has been a change in focus in recent years, since at the origin of Projec the work was primarily in residential projects and today it also covers commercial and corporate areas. “From 2016 onwards, we made internal changes in terms of structure, organizational dynamics, we started looking more at sales to gain scale and grow”.
Furthermore, as of August 2019, the company began offering the execution of works, prospecting clients in this area for 2020. “I believe that in 2020 we will be able to consolidate the construction model and we will be the only junior company that offers construction execution services, from design to delivery of the key”, says Leonardo.
Projec's portfolio also includes projects such as the LiveHere headquarters in Campinas, the headquarters of two other Unicamp junior companies (Economica and Motriz), a chocolate store, residential projects and small-scale developments.
Providing practical experience
Brazilian junior companies began to be created in 1988, influenced by the French student movement that, since the 1960s, had been demanding greater practical experience in higher education training. Regulated by Law 13.267/2016 in Brazil, They are constituted as non-profit companies and can be created by higher education or technical students.
For Leonardo, the junior company provides important practical experience, since internships during graduation only occur at the end of the course, and Projec allows students to enter from the first academic semester, already leading them to practical knowledge. With training, and also with the need to solve problems faced when executing projects, he says that rich learning is possible in the company.
Teachers are great allies in this sense, as he highlights, as they make themselves available to answer questions and assist with problems that may arise. “Teachers help with the development of projects, they help train the eye to see things that are sometimes not noticed due to lack of experience. The fact that Unicamp’s PhD professors get involved is a difference.”
Like any junior company, profit for members is not allowed. Thus, the revenue is invested in the company's structure and in the training of members, providing training in courses and other types of events. With the 2019 revenue, Leonardo says that it will also be possible to renovate Projec's headquarters, consolidating a more professional work environment.
Check out some of the projects in the gallery below.
