6 Questions for...Kilian Eckle, Founder of RoofUz
Kilian is a jack of all trades. Or rather, of all rooftops... We'd like to introduce our founder and ask him about his vision for RoofUz.
"After all, the analogue is what makes the world exciting and worth living in. Digital tools are an essential means to an end."
Who are you and what do you do here?
I am Kilian Eckle. Along with my fascinating colleagues, I am developing RoofUz, a platform for rooftop additions. Currently, my main task is to understand how we can make it faster and cheaper to convert roofs into living spaces than it has been so far.
Which part of your work do you like the most?
I like clever solutions that bring real added value. I think the world should be more digital, but only in the background. After all, the analogue is what makes the world exciting and worth living in. Digital tools should help us make more time for what really matters, right?
Organic growth is great and natural. But sometimes there are also issues that can and should be corrected.
My personal goal is to help people live better lives. To do that, I build digital tools and platforms. A big goal, I know.
What would simplify your working life?
Honestly? At the moment, it's resources. Specifically, money. Money would help us hire even more smart people to build products, which would let us earn money and and go after big goals.
Which (digital) tools do you already use?
Project management: Trello - I lve this system for getting myself organised, and also for keeping projects well organised in the context of teamwork.
Well-organised collaborative working: Google Drive - I am not a Microsoft fan. I can take care of many different types of projects with Google Drive and have access from anywhere. Even from smartphone and other computers.
Documentation: photo app - to photograph roofs.
Communication: WhatsApp/alternative chat messenger and email - to communicate with others.
Appointment management: Calendly - to make appointments more easily.
What would be your dream project?
A RoofUz on the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben and the White House and the Great Wall of China.
Above all, I would like to develop applications for historical building. Then we could convert almost all roofs into RoofUz rooftop apartments. Preferably 70% for social purposes. And the remaining 30% for the wealthy, who would get the RoofUz Gold version with all the extras. That would result in many houses being retrofitted, which would also have the side-effect of reducing CO2 emissions.
What does the future of your trade ideally look like?
Lots of value creation, resulting in less wasted time, which lets tradespeople earn more money. We urgently need more tradespeople to make our cities and our planet climate-proof and to keep them livable.
Photos: Portrait of Kilian by Jacqueline Schulz, Great Wall of China by Hanson Lu.