September 9, 2013

FMs show support for BIM, though not all are certain about what it does

by Sara Bean • Architecture, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

There is a lack of understanding within the FM community about what Building Information Modelling (BIM) is and its full capabilities, according to the full results of a BIM4FM Group poll. The majority of respondents (61.7%) held the view that BIM can support the delivery of facilities management, but just over a third of respondents (35.3%), do not yet understand the intricacies of how this will be achieved at this stage. While 65 per cent of the individual members of the organisation’s that make up the BIM4FM group which represents institutes, trade associations and professional bodies within the built environment had heard of BIM – there did seem to be some confusion as to what actually constitutes a BIM project. More →

September 5, 2013

Open-plan office workers need time out from the madding crowd

by Sara Bean • Comment, Facilities management, Flexible working, Workplace design

Open-plan offices are now the most popular workplace layout, primarily because they save on space, enable flexible working and, it’s argued, foster better communication and collaboration between employees. Yet open-plan still has some way to go to convince occupants of its merits. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, of over 42,000 US office workers in 303 office buildings, workers in private offices remain the most satisfied with their surroundings. However, what constitutes a satisfactory workspace differed, according to the employee’s current office layout. So while noise was the most important consideration for open-plan workers, light and ease of interaction topped the satisfaction list for those housed in cellular offices. More →

August 28, 2013

Dull corporate offices with no “buzz” inhibit productivity, complain staff

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Workplace, Workplace design

Creating a dynamic and creative workplace is dependent on a number of factors; the office layout and design, the style of management and the wider company culture. Get these elements right and, says workplace consultants Morgan Lovell you hit the “Buzz Barometer” – a combination of a good atmosphere, energy and teamwork which encourages productivity and high levels of employee engagement. However, according to their recent research, three quarters (78 per cent) of employees say they would be significantly more productive if their workplace had more buzz. And worryingly for larger organisations, corporates are failing to match small company buzz, with four-fifths (81 per cent) saying SMEs offer a better working atmosphere than large companies.

August 28, 2013

New guidance for designers on bridging energy performance gap

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

Evaluating operational energy performance of buildings at the design stage

So-called “low energy buildings” are increasingly being found to use more energy than their designers thought they would, with the performance of low energy designs often little better, and sometimes worse, than that of an older building they have replaced, or supplemented. This difference between expected and realised energy performance has come to be known as the “performance gap”. To help address this problem, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has just issued new guidance on how to address operational energy use at the design stage. ‘TM54: Evaluating operational energy performance of buildings at the design stage’ is now available from the online CIBSE Knowledge Portal. More →

August 27, 2013

Willmott Dixon wins huge £19 million fit-out contract at University of Brighton

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Public Sector, Workplace design

The interiors division at construction and support services firm Willmott Dixon has secured its largest ever contract, a project valued at around £19m to refurbish a 1960s teaching block for the University of Brighton. The work will include a complete refit of the building to create a 160,000 sq. ft. mixed use scheme in the ten-storey Cockroft building, including offices and IT facilities. The project was procured through the IESE framework and Willmott Dixon is working with a team that includes Fraser Brown MacKenna, Mott MacDonald, Curtins Consulting and Burnley Wilson. The interiors division has announced that it intends to raise its turnover to £125m within three years across a range of projects in the office, retail, leisure and hospitality sectors.

August 19, 2013

New report urges UK’s large organisations to adopt more flexible working

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, Flexible working, Knowledge, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

The UK’s large organisations are missing out on some of the opportunities presented to them by mobile working methodologies according to a new survey from Deloitte and (what else?) telecoms provider EE. The Upwardly Mobile report questioned more than 1,000 employees of firms with more than 1,000 staff including Kier, Royal Mail, Oxfam and BP and found that this situation would change as Generation Y employees assumed the power needed to introduce a more flexible working culture. The report goes on to predict that by 2016, at least one FTSE 350 company will have a Gen Y CEO at the helm.

August 13, 2013

Worldwide space standards moving closer to UK norm, claims new report

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Flexible working, Knowledge, News, Property, Workplace design

Worldwide office space standards are now moving closer to the norm seen in the UK according to a new survey from CoreNet Global. According to the CoreNet survey of real estate managers, the average amount of space per office worker globally has dropped to 150 sq. ft (14 sq.m.) , from 225 sq. ft. (21 sq.m.). This is still well outside the standards from the British Council for Offices Specification Guide which reported a fall to 11.8 sq. m. in 2009 and which will be revised downwards even further with the publication of the new guide which has been promised soon. Even this figure might be seen as high and makes assumptions about the relevance of such space standards given the way some firms now work.

August 7, 2013

New online survey will explore the psychology of collaboration spaces

by Mark Eltringham • Furniture, Knowledge, News, Workplace design

Herman Miller is sponsoring the next stage of Research into the Psychology of Collaboration Spaces being carried out by Dr Nigel Oseland of Workplace Unlimited The key methodology is an online survey which determines your personality profile and collaboration preferences. To enter the survey click here. The research stems from a literature review that Nigel conducted on behalf of Herman Miller last year. For a copy of the previous research report please click here for a summary or the full paper. The survey takes around 15 minutes to complete. Participants will receive a copy of the new research report and an invitation to a seminar of the research findings. You may also enter a prize draw for a Herman Miller Mirra chair and Workplace Trends conference tickets. The survey closes on Friday 16th August.

August 4, 2013

100% Design announces new collaboration with Design Guild Mark

by Mark Eltringham • Furniture, News, Products, Workplace design

Mir by Mark Gabbertas for Chorus Furniture

The UK’s largest and longest running contemporary design event 100% Design has announced a new collaboration with The Furniture Makers Company to promote British design excellence through the Design Guild Mark. The Design Guild Mark was introduced by The Furniture Makers Company in 2008 to recognises excellence in the design of mass produced furniture in the UK. Ten of the products which earned a Design Guild Mark will be exhibited at 100% Design this year including products from designers such as Barber Osgerby, Terry Hunt, Mark Gabbertas and James Irvine.

August 1, 2013

Predicting the future of the office means looking at what is happening now

by Charles Marks • Comment, Facilities management, Furniture, Workplace, Workplace design

Futurology is notoriously a mug’s game. Especially when it comes to making predictions about technology. Just ask Ken Olson, the founder of DEC who in 1977 pronounced that ‘there is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home’. Or Bill Gates himself who once claimed that Microsoft ‘will never make a 32 bit operating system’. Most recently Steve Ballmer, a billionaire executive said in 2007 ‘there’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.’ But mone of these retrosepctively viewed dodgy predictions should make us blind to those that we know will certainly come true, especially those based on what we know is happening in the present.

July 19, 2013

Dual source lighting schemes illuminate the way ahead for office design

by Shane Cohen • Comment, Facilities management, Lighting, Workplace design

Too bright, too dull, too much glare – lighting (alongside air conditioning) is often one of the most contentious factors in a workplace. Office workers need illumination to read, write, type and interact. Yet many workplaces get it wrong and fail to consider the downsides of poor lighting, and as such staff will suffer from eye strain, headaches and postural problems, leading to sick days, not to mention lost productivity and mistakes. Eighty per cent of office workers experience at least one negative effect from poor quality lighting, according to researchers Bruskin Goldring, and 68 per cent of employees complain about the light in their offices, according to a study by the American Society of Interior Designers.

July 17, 2013

Plans to redevelop London’s Smithfield Market are given the green light

by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Furniture, News, Property, Workplace design

The much talked about plans to redevelop Smithfield market have been given the green light by City of London planners. As we reported earlier this year, the development in the heart of a London district renowned for its creative industries, including many of the UK’s leading workplace design studios, has been the subject of a great deal of scrutiny and controversy. Now the City of London’s planning and transport committee has voted to approve the scheme designed by John McAslan + Partners. Most of the objections were made by campaigners based on the heritage of the historic site.