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Skanska is great at what they do and extremely well respected but possibly why you won't find a ton of info on them here is because they play primarily in the fee development/construction(GC) space. While they have a strong CRE presence, their business extends to many different platforms outside of the commercial realm. I don't think they actually take on any principal/development risk although maybe they've played as a merchant builder on some deals.
They do act as principal, just not in every market the construction company operates in.
Well capitalized shop!!! They build monster projects and have their own capital to do deals than JV! I will put them in the ranks of Tishman, Vornado, etc.
Solid reputation and very cool projects. Just be sure you realize they have multiple divisions, the construction arm/GC which they are most known for. And the investment/development arm which is only active in a handful of cities in the US. Thus, it can be hard sometimes to figure out if it is a principal project of theirs or one they are third party GC for. Go search YouTube for "Skanska Seattle 2+U" its a video of one of their own projects (principal).
Thanks! Looking at their commercial development group that's involved in the investment/development side. I see that their principal business is more on the construction side of things, though.
Looks like they're pursuing office/mixed-use and multifamily investment/development projects. You know if they pursue any other asset classes?
The business units are separate, but operate under the same brand. But yeah, by size the construction size is way larger (I think they would be a top 10 globally in construction). Not sure if they go beyond office/multi-fam/mixed, they seem to fit the urban, large-scale high-rise developer model, at least from the projects I know.
I don't know a ton about their development strategy or team, but I interviewed with them on the east coast for a development associate role. They were one of the major developers for Boston's Seaport redevelopment (you should take a look at their landmark developments at 101 Seaport Blvd, 121 Seaport Blvd, and 85 Seaport Blvd). As for the interview, 1st round was mostly behavioral (why development? walk through resume). 2 technicals they asked me were 1.) what is the benefit of designing an office building in an oval shape as seen at 121 Seaport Blvd vs rectangular and 2.) if you were developing an office building, where would you put the elevators. 2nd round was a 4hr financial modeling test (they were specifically looking for a finance savvy candidate because they had just sold 121 Seaport Blvd and I assume were looking for new acquisitions and projects). The modeling test was based off of 85 Seaport Blvd, which is an apartment development. Pretty standard test comprised of construction draw schedule using normal distribution, debt/equity draw schedule, cash flow projection, IRR/EM calculation, sensitivity analysis, and there might have been a waterfall but i forget. They also leave out a lot of assumptions such as vacancy rate and assumptions for a permanent loan refinance. They want to see that you can connect the model with what's actually going on in reality instead of just plugging in numbers.
What is the correct answer to the oval vs rectangle question? The PTC building is beautiful and I had just assumed it was purely an aesthetic move.
My guess is that based on it's location right on the water, there is a lot more wind that'll hit the building. So designing it in an oval shape will provide some aerodynamic benefit that helps the building's structure. Also, daylighting may be another benefit, reducing the load on the heating system - you'll get the sun hitting a higher surface area of the building.
I'm pretty sure the answer is that a cylindrical design is cheaper than a rectangular prism because a cylinder has less surface area than a rectangular prism. As for the elevator I answered that it depends on the type of office tenants you intend to have. If each floor will have multiple office tenants then elevators should be in the center so that tenants can easily get to their office space without needing to pass through other office tenants. I'm not sure if either of these were the answers they were looking for because the prick interviewer wouldn't tell me if it was right or not
interesting. i heard once that they only buy cash, no debt. would seem otherwise if they have a full equity/debt draw schedule test. this is but one data point and realize they're a massive company, so would be interested to see thoughts on this.
I believe their funding is internal from the Skanska balance sheet, that likely has an internal cost of capital just like any corporate capital budgeting exercise would have. So, even if it's their own money they probably have to model it out for internal reasons just the same.
For a shop that pays 5 figures this interview seems rich.....
Did you get an offer?
Not an offer. I ended the process when they said my comp expectation was "way over" their budget.
Their target comp for an associate role (assuming, given that it's advertised) is $80k or whatever?
Yikes.
Highly doubt that from people I've known there, but I think they vary comp by market COL, but my impression is associate is like closer to $100k base + bonus
That makes a lot more sense
Are you applying?
I dont know about CRE but I'm throwing my name into the ring. Sounds like it's a solid firm.
Nah
Edit: "Nah" to me applying. Not "Nah" to it being a solid firm. It's a great firm. Forums screwed up.
I am pretty close with a former top executive at the company. Super well-respected - really smart people and hard working. Always seemed like they had very exciting new projects and doing interesting work. Seems like a solid reputable place.
Their bread and butter is construction management. Main development markets include DC (HQ), Boston, Seattle, California, and Houston is growing significantly. Great culture. Outside of the US they do a lot of development in Eastern Europe such as Poland and Czech Republic. Highly recommend.
Thanks for the insight! You know why Houston is growing? Seems like an unlikely candidate right now.
Pre Covid times. Heard this from some top people in the development division.
It seems like they primarily buy plans and follow a merchant builder model, as opposed to buying raw dirt and taking it through the entitlement process (at least in my market). Seems like the construction process is where they add the most value.
Correct. They generally go for a ‘build and sell’ approach
They do full entitlements/approvals as needed, and complete design process from zero almost always. They sell after stabilization to recycle their own capital (they don't use outside debt or equity to fund generally).
Skanska has been involved in some interesting tax controversy here in Sweden. But overall they are considered a great long-term company to work at.
https://svt.se/nyheter/granskning/ug/new-karolinska-advanced-tax-scheme…
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