Government Environmental Improvement Plan is ambitious but needs a clear plan

Government Environmental Improvement Plan is ambitious but needs a clear plan

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

The UKGBC has welcomed the ambition and vision of the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan, particularly the water efficiency roadmap which broadly aligns with UKGBC recommendations. Yet the lobbying group also claims that the Plan falls short of providing the practical targets and policiesThe UKGBC has welcomed the ambition and vision of the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan, particularly the water efficiency roadmap which broadly aligns with UKGBC recommendations. Yet the lobbying group also claims that the Plan falls short of providing the practical targets and policies for the built environment to play its part in halting nature’s decline. Many critical areas of interest to our sector – including planning system reform, policies for environmental net gain, and tangible targets – are insufficiently explained or missing entirely from the Plan. More →

Issue 13 of IN Magazine celebrates ten years of workplace insight

Issue 13 of IN Magazine celebrates ten years of workplace insight

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Premium Content, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

The new issue of In Magazine has now been published. It marks ten years of Workplace Insight with a few things we think we know about work, working culture and work places.The new issue of In Magazine has now been published. It marks ten years of Workplace Insight with a few things we think we know about work, working culture and work places. Elsewhere in this issue: Stephanie Fitzgerald talks about the unspoken privilege of wellbeing; we consider the sprawl of the world’s megacities; Jo Knight argues that the office sector needs to really up its game on the environment; Rene Stevens makes the case for a strategic approach to learning environments; we weigh up the pros and cons of retrofit and new builds; Neil Usher sets out to develop a universally acceptable definition of hybrid working; Andy Brown on what we really need data for; why dead tech hangs around; and we do the maths on what it means when people say the office should be worth the commute it takes to get to it. More →

The business case for the retrofit of existing buildings keeps getting stronger

The business case for the retrofit of existing buildings keeps getting stronger

by • Environment, Facilities management, Features, Property

The news last year that the M&S flagship Orchard House store on Oxford Street in London was to be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development of shops, offices, restaurants and a gym sparked a very British sort of debate about the pros and cons of retrofit and refurbishmentThe news last year that the M&S flagship Orchard House store on Oxford Street in London was to be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development of shops, offices, restaurants and a gym sparked a very British sort of debate about the pros and cons of retrofit and refurbishment. This is M&S after all. It may not be the cultural touchstone it once was but it remains an institution. But the debate was also about some things you might expect right now, including the ongoing deterioration of Oxford Street, the loss of a landmark building (and an art deco one at that) and the suitability of the ten-storey, mixed-use development that was to replace it. More →

Firms failing to embed net zero into operations

Firms failing to embed net zero into operations

by • Environment, News

While 85 percent of companies now have net-zero strategies, the majority are failing to incorporate them into daily business operations.A survey [registration] of 300 managers at organisations in industrial sectors across the U.K., U.S. and Germany by ESG consulting firm Sphera, claims that while 85 percent of companies now have net zero strategies, the majority are failing to incorporate them into daily business operations. Only 41 percent of operations managers have seen sustainability strategies produce significant changes in daily practices, and 32 percent say their firms do not align with science-based emissions targets.   More →

Vast majority of IT managers prioritise commercial success over sustainability

Vast majority of IT managers prioritise commercial success over sustainability

by • Environment, News, Technology

A new poll claims that the vast majority of tech managers prioritise commercial success over sustainability, despite the fact that nearly all agree with the idea that sustainability is good for businessA new poll claims that the vast majority of tech managers prioritise commercial success over sustainability, despite the fact that nearly all agree with the idea that sustainability is good for business. The report from Software AG is based on a survey of 2,000 senior IT decision-makers from the US, Canada, UK, Germany and France. It suggests that most organisations prioritise commercial objectives over sustainability in the face of economic challenges. This is despite the fact that almost all (95 percent) leaders agree sustainability is either a top or high priority and a similar number (97 percent) agree that other firms’ sustainability credentials are either essential or important in their own buying decisions. The annual Reality Check reports seeks to investigate how technology initiatives can benefit both sustainability and commercial objectives. More →

TOG opens what it claims is Central London’s tallest mass timber office building

TOG opens what it claims is Central London’s tallest mass timber office building

by • Environment, News, Property

Flexible office provider TOG has announced the opening of its first project built from the ground upFlexible office provider TOG has announced the opening of its first project built from the ground up – The Black & White Building, located in Shoreditch. The firm claims that The Black & White Building is Central London’s tallest mass timber office, standing at 17.8 metres high and covering 38,315 sq ft. The workspace has been built using renewable materials and innovative construction methods, which TOG claims results in embodied carbon creation being reduced by 37 percent compared with a concrete structure of the same size. More →

Lambeth plans major expansion in sustainable office space

Lambeth plans major expansion in sustainable office space

by • Company news, Environment, Property

Lambeth plans major investment in sustainable office developmentsLambeth is set for London’s biggest increase in sustainable office space over the next decade with an estimated six million square feet of extra space for business set to be created. A report commissioned by Lambeth Council details this expansion, how it supports the borough’s growth priorities and delivers space fit for the future of work. The report ‘Lambeth: The Future of Sustainable Work’ sets out how expansion supports the council’s bold ambitions to foster well-paid jobs in growth sectors for the borough’s young people, to achieve its Net Zero by 2030 outcome and to create an environment for local entrepreneurs to flourish. More →

Office sector net zero targets require significant shift in thinking

Office sector net zero targets require significant shift in thinking

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

An image of the Earth from space to illustrate what is at stake for the office sector, which is one of the main contributors to carbon emissionsA new report, Delivering Net Zero Carbon in the Workplace [BCO members only] produced by University College London Consultants (UCLC) for the British Council for Offices (BCO), claims to identify the barriers that businesses are facing as they strive to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of their offices. The report, informed by over 100 office occupiers and building professionals, outlines the measures that those working in the office sector can take to overcome these barriers at what the report suggests is low or zero cost. More →

Herman Miller Aeron Chair now with ocean-bound plastic in all available colours in Europe

Herman Miller Aeron Chair now with ocean-bound plastic in all available colours in Europe

by • Company news, Environment, Furniture, Works Magazine

Herman Miller Aeron chair and tableOffice furniture giant Herman Miller has launched its iconic Aeron Chair in Europe with ocean-bound plastic (OBP) in all available colours. This change builds upon the momentum created by the successful introduction of ocean-bound plastic in Aeron exclusively for Onyx, the ultra-black shade, in September 2021. the Herman Miller Aeron with ocean-bound plastic is now available in a harmonious colour palette which centres on elements pulled from the earth. Onyx is a dramatic ultra-black shade, Graphite is a distinctive dark grey, Carbon is a balanced neutral that works equally well in warm and cool environments, and Mineral is the lightest shade illuminating Aeron’s finer points, ideal for open floor plans and spaces. More →

EU approves major funding increase for new circular economy and clean energy projects

EU approves major funding increase for new circular economy and clean energy projects

by • Environment, News

The European Commission has approved more than €380 million of funding for 168 new projects across Europe as part of its LIFE Programme for the environment and climate action. As part of the European Green Deal, it believes that the projects funded can help the EU become climate-neutral by 2050 and reach climate, energy and environmental goals. They aim to support biodiversity, nature restoration and a circular economy while contributing to the clean energy transition across the continent. More →

Is carbon counting really the answer for the office furniture industry?

Is carbon counting really the answer for the office furniture industry?

by • Comment, Environment, JK

A footprint on a beach to illustrate how the office furniture sector and others need to take a more sophisticated approach to environmental issuesThere is an increasing awareness that carbon is contained within all the products we buy. As an example, a leading sports trainer manufacturer is now displaying carbon content labelling, rather like food retailers quote calories. Within the workplace sector, the environmental impact of the built environment and products such as office furniture and flooring are seemingly well known. This must include consideration regarding how refurbishments and changes to embrace new working practices are managed responsibly. More →

Retrofitting buildings essential to reduce energy costs and combat the global energy crisis

Retrofitting buildings essential to reduce energy costs and combat the global energy crisis

by • Environment, News, Property

A tree lined street to illustrate the green benefits of retrofitting buildingsA new report from JLL claims that rising energy costs are expediting the move toward more efficient buildings. JLL’s Retrofitting Buildings to be Future-Fit research suggests that net-zero carbon (NZC) intervention measures directly impact a building’s bottom line and that failing to decarbonise leads to significant financial risk. For many buildings, meeting 2050 decarbonization targets put forward in the Paris Climate Agreement is grounded in retrofitting current spaces, which can also garner higher rents, reduce financial risk and generate higher occupancy rates and tenant satisfaction. More →

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