May 2, 2025

Sustainability and wellbeing yet again key themes of South West BCO Awards

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Workplace design

Seven office developments across the South of England and South Wales have been recognised as the region’s most outstanding workplaces at the annual British Council for Offices (BCO) Awards. Among the winners were three Bristol-based projects, highlighting the city’s growing reputation for innovative, inclusive and sustainable office design. The awards ceremony, held at We The Curious in Bristol, celebrated excellence in office design, fit-out, and environmental performance. With a strong emphasis this year on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), wellbeing, and inclusivity, the judges praised the winning projects for their forward-thinking, occupier-focused approaches. More →

April 30, 2025

Co-working spaces bring a whole range of benefits for employees and communities

by Mariachiara Barzotto • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Workplace design

When you think of co-working spaces – where workers from different industries come together to share a convenient workplace – you might picture a group of young freelancers hunched over laptops. But today’s co-working spaces have evolved into something more powerful – particularly in a world still reshuffling office work practices in the wake of the COVID pandemic. As workplaces adapt to new ways of operating, from hybrid to “digital nomadism”, co-working spaces can do more than simply offer flexibility. They can support workers’ wellbeing and work–life balance by enhancing a sense of community, building trust and new friendships, and encouraging continuous learning. More →

April 29, 2025

Pace from Profim. Where design meets human-centred innovation

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Workplace design

Profim proudly unveils Pace, an innovative task chair that redefines comfortable, sustainable seating for the modern workplace. Created by Germany’s ITO Design, the studio behind Profim’s bestselling Xenon and AccisPro lines, and engineered in Poland, Pace seamlessly blends German design precision with Polish manufacturing excellence. The chair’s clean, contemporary silhouette adapts effortlessly to diverse work environments. Its Synchro SFL MAX mechanism enables smooth, natural movement, providing subtle support for different seating positions without compromising visual elegance. With multiple backrest, lumbar support, and armrest options, Pace enhances comfort while helping to reduce workplace health concerns, making it ideal for settings ranging from startups to corporate offices. More →

April 29, 2025

Regional BCO Awards show how London’s best offices are redefining the way we work

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Workplace design

In a city where tradition meets the cutting edge, London’s office spaces are undergoing a quiet revolution. At the British Council for Offices (BCO) Regional Awards, held today at the London Hilton on Park Lane, seven projects were celebrated—not just for their architectural merit, but for what they reveal about the evolving needs of workers, employers, and communities alike. This year’s winners, chosen from across the capital, signal what the BCO claim is a new era of workplace thinking—where sustainability, community engagement, and human experience carry as much weight as style and status. The awards recognise excellence in the design, fit-out, operation and environmental responsibility of London’s best offices. The 2025 cohort offers more than inspiration; it sets a bold new benchmark for the offices of tomorrow. More →

April 28, 2025

Workspace Design Show returns to Amsterdam with a new, future-focused agenda

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace design

After a successful debut in 2023, the Workspace Design Show will return to Amsterdam this November, promising to shape the future of workplace interiors. Taking place from 5–6 November 2025 at RAI Amsterdam, the event is recognised as the UK and Europe’s leading exhibition dedicated to the evolution of workplace environments. Bringing together some of the most creative minds in architecture, design, occupier strategy and sustainability, the Amsterdam edition will focus on how to create more effective, inspiring, and future-proof workspaces. Innovation, sustainability and wellbeing will be at the heart of the 2025 show, with an outstanding speaker programme planned across three dedicated stages: Workspace Design Talks, Occupiers Forum, and Sustainability Talks. The sessions aim to deliver critical insights and practical strategies for designing the workplace of tomorrow. More →

March 13, 2025

Workspace Design Show Amsterdam 2025 returns to inspire the offices of the future

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Workplace design

The Workspace Design Show is set to make a return to Amsterdam this year, promising to bring together industry leaders, designers, and top brands to shape the future of workplace interiors. Following its successful debut in October 2023, the event will take place at the RAI Amsterdam on 5–6 November 2025, with organisers anticipating an even larger and more dynamic showcase. The 2025 edition is expected to attract over 6,000 visitors and feature more than 800 products alongside a series of high-profile discussions and presentations. The FRAME Awards will be a key highlight, celebrating excellence in workspace design, while three conferences will bring together major global occupiers including Booking.com, Amazon, Zoom, and Ubisoft. Design leaders from firms such as Gensler, UNStudio, HENN, CBRE, Colliers, and Arcadis will also contribute to discussions on the future of workplace strategy and culture. More →

March 12, 2025

Genuinely unmissable workplace events are thin on the ground. The Workspace Design Show is one of the best

by Mick Jordan • Features, Workplace design

For some unknown reason the Business Design Centre was once derided, disliked and generally dismissed by many in the workplace sector. We never really understood this. Why would an industry with a hub just down the road in Clerkenwell not like the idea of visiting an exhibition centre that is so local? Why would they not be happy to come to Islington, with its enviable array of restaurants bars cafés etc? It’s not as though anyone’s being forced to head out to a slightly random, innocuous residential area of London. For those not based in and around Clerkenwell and the City, communications in and out of Islington are extremely good, unlike some of those more problematic destinations to the west of London. More →

March 5, 2025

Outdated offices are sabotaging ‘return to office’ policies

by James Campanini • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

The debate over whether to return to office work or sustain a remote team has become one of the most significant workplace discussions in recent years. Companies are struggling to balance remote and in-office work, yet strict return-to-office (RTO) mandates are failing to deliver the intended results. While many assume the COVID-19 pandemic was the advent of hybrid work models, in reality, many businesses had already begun adopting flexible work arrangements before the pandemic accelerated the shift to remote working. More →

February 19, 2025

Bigger and better than ever, Workspace Design Show London returns

by Neil Franklin • Facilities management, News, Workplace design

It’s back. The Workspace Design Show London is bigger and better than ever, with over 5,000 workplace professionals, including architects, designers, developers, and end-user occupiers, joining together to explore the present and future of workspace design and management. In just a few days, the eagerly-awaited Workspace Design Show, the trade show that brings together the UK workplace interiors community, will open its doors. Held at London’s Business Design Centre, handily placed in the heart of Islington, from 26-27 February 2025, the event offers attendees the chance to explore the latest industry trends, see the latest products, and find inspiration in the thought-provoking talks programmes. More →

February 19, 2025

Sustainable Design Awards call for entries

by Freddie Steele • Environment, News, Workplace design

The Sustainable Design Collective (SDC), a think tank group of leading design professionals working in the office workplace sector – is inviting entries for its annual awards. The announcement follows confirmation that the third SD Forum will be held on 24th April 2025 at the Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell, London. Free to enter, each entry will be assessed completely independently by a panel of eight industry experts against specified criteria. New to the team, this year’s panel includes award-winning product designer, Luke Pearson and Sophie Thomas, founding partner at Thomas.Matthews. Assessments include: whole life carbon performance including contribution to the circular economy; contribution to the health and wellbeing of the occupants; and social value. More →

February 6, 2025

Demand for high quality office space continues to grow worldwide, and so do its costs

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Workplace design

Rents for prime office space across the globe rose by 0.3 percent and fit out costs by 0.2 percent in the final quarter of 2024, says Savills, as demand for top quality office space continues to grow in many markets around the world. According to Savills in its latest quarterly Prime Office Costs report, in the fourth quarter of last year, average net effective costs rose slightly, by 0.1 percent, continuing a moderate upwards trend of 1.9 percent over 2024. London (West End), Hong Kong, and New York (Midtown) remain the top three locations in terms of costs of the 35 markets Savills examines. More →

January 22, 2025

The constant craving to put numbers on working relationships

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Workplace design

The answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything is not 42, as you may have been led to believe. It’s 1/137 (or near enough). This is the greatest of the two dozen or so universal constants. According to current thinking, without the physical and quantum relationships it describes, the universe as we know it could not exist. More →