A sophisticated eye on workplace design

A sophisticated eye on workplace design

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

Does Douglas Adams really have anything to tell us about workplace design ?Each day you can generally find somebody or other sharing their thoughts on ‘the office of the future’ or ‘the death of the office’. My view is that you should steer clear of taking most of this sort of stuff head-on, on the basis that hardcore deskheads have heard most of it before and already concluded that there are more important things to worry about in a fit-out than what a pool table and a second hand armchair tells us about workplace design.

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Majority of workers think their workplace is unpleasant

Majority of workers think their workplace is unpleasant

by • Facilities management, News, Workplace design

A still from Ikiru showing an unpleasant workplace environmentMany of the UK’s workplaces are unpleasant, uncomfortable and at risk of driving down productivity, according to a new survey from Aspect.co.uk. The poll of 2,000 people claims that 83 percent of UK adults consider their workplace to be an “unpleasant” environment, with many citing uncomfortable temperatures, lack of natural light, unpleasant smells, damp and mould, poor ventilation and even vermin and insects among their complaints. The study set out to identify the most common causes of employee discomfort at work. On the whole, issues related to physical comfort were the most common complaints. 46 percent complained of workplaces that were “too hot”, 43 percent complained of workplaces being “too cold” and 28 percent complained of workplaces having poor ventilation.

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Demand outstrips supply for Edinburgh office space

Demand outstrips supply for Edinburgh office space

by • Cities, Facilities management, Technology

Demand strips supply for Edinburgh office space as tech sector dominatesThe majority (90 percent) of Grade A deals for commercial offices in Edinburgh so far this year came from the tech sector, according to Savills, resulting in TMT being the most active business sector of the first quarter of 2019. Key deals included Amazon signing for 30,000 sq ft at Exchange Crescent and Epic Games taking 10,000 sq ft at Quartermile 2. This reflects that fact that over the past five years, Edinburgh has seen employment growth of 7 percent in the professional scientific and tech industries and is forecast to see a further 11 percent over the next five years; resulting in a projected 3,800 net additional jobs in these industries

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The new normal of flexible work transforming workplaces

The new normal of flexible work transforming workplaces

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

Digital innovations, and in particular, cloud computing is enabling increasing numbers of employees to work remotely and flexibly. This means the central company workspace is rapidly becoming an administrative hub, rather than a traditional central focus where everyone gathers during set hours. This is according to Condeco’s new research paper, The Modern Workplace 2019: People, places & technology (registration) which claims that 41 per cent of employers already offer remote working, while 60 per cent now allow employees to set their own flexible hours. (more…)

Green Building Council launches framework for net zero carbon

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched a framework for the UK construction and property industry which it claims will shape the transition new and existing buildings to become net zero carbon by 2050, in line with the ambitions of the Paris Climate Agreement and a new government ambition.

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Take up of office space in central London strongest for six years

Take up of office space in central London strongest for six years

by • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property

British Land/GIC’s development at 100 Liverpool Street, EC2 office spaceThe first quarter of 2019 saw take-up of office space in central London at its strongest for six years, as it continues to outperform expectations. This is according to Savills, which also reports 1.16 million sq ft of new lettings being agreed in the City of London. In the West End, 42 transactions completed in March alone took total activity for Q1 2019 to 98 office lettings. In the City, there were 100 occupational deals for the year to date, of which 33 completed in March. The tech & media sector accounted for the largest share of take-up in the West End, at 25 percent, while the City benefited from a surge of serviced offices.

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New BSRIA guide to Soft Landings and Business-Focused Maintenance

New BSRIA guide to Soft Landings and Business-Focused Maintenance

by • Architecture, Facilities management, News, Technology, Workplace design

New Soft Landings and Business-Focused Maintenance guide from BSRIABSRIA has launched a new guide that aims to inform those involved in the design, construction and operation of a building about how an effective Business-Focused Maintenance (BFM) regime can be developed and achieved through the Soft Landings approach. The topic guide on Soft Landings and BFM is written as an ‘at a glance publication’ to give readers a glimpse of the subject and recommends further reading. (more…)

Manchester is the number one tech location outside of London

Manchester is the number one tech location outside of London

by • AI, Cities, Facilities management, News, Property, Technology

Neo Manchester hosts a number of tech businessesThe UK’s regional cities are competing harder than ever with London to become the location of choice for the tech sector. According to CBRE’s report ‘Tech Cities:  Exploring tech hotspots in the UK regions’ Manchester ranks number one amongst the top 10 UK tech location outside of London, but Scotland features highly with Glasgow and Edinburgh in second and third position respectively. Birmingham has risen three places, from seventh to fourth position but smaller conurbations such as such as Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, Southampton, Brighton and Bracknell also feature, based on their concentrations of tech employment, tech businesses and high education levels. More cities are competing for the very top spots in the ranking

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What lift design tells us about who we are and how we work

What lift design tells us about who we are and how we work

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

In 1959, cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman identified the personality traits which go hand in hand with disproportionate levels of heart disease. These include an overblown sense of time urgency, a desire to fit as much into each second as possible, excessive competitiveness and aggressiveness and frustration when other people are doing things more slowly than absolutely necessary. In other words – your typical 21st Century human. Friedman and Rosenman coined a term for such people which has now entered common usage. They called them Type-A personalities.

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Employees sceptical about attitudes of employers to digital transformation

Employees sceptical about attitudes of employers to digital transformation

by • AI, Facilities management, News, Technology

More than half of employees are confused about the true meaning of ‘digital transformation’ and have a high degree of scepticism about their employers’ appetite for digital innovation, a new poll suggests. The research into employees’ attitudes toward digital transformation, innovation and cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, conducted by YouGov amongst employees at 500 businesses with 50 or more employees, on behalf of Cherwell Software, found that 57 percent of employees don’t know the correct meaning of ‘digital transformation’: 20 percent of respondents couldn’t hazard a guess at its meaning and 12 percent thought it meant moving to a paperless office.

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UKGBC issues circular economy guidance for construction clients

UKGBC issues circular economy guidance for construction clients

by • Architecture, Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

UKGBC issues circular economy guidance for construction clientsNew guidance has been launched by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) to assist client organisations to include more ambitious circular design and construction best practices in project briefs for non-domestic projects. It addresses the commercial realities associated with making this practically happen and provides support and evidence to assist clients in setting clear strategies that ensure budget, project timescales and risks are all minimised and mitigated. The guidance may also be helpful for those in the supply chain looking to support construction clients on their journey towards specifying and practically applying circular economy principles.

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Still healthy demand for construction work on fit outs and office refurbishment

Still healthy demand for construction work on fit outs and office refurbishment

by • Facilities management, News, Property, Public Sector

Enterprise-Centre-Interior-Lobby-Architype ©Darren-Carter-Morgan-Sindall-

Although the new commercial development sector may be subdued, specialist contractors are seeing a continued demand for construction work on fit outs and office refurbishment. According to Glenigan the construction sector has been buoyed up by a series of major refurbishments of government offices while some large private sector groups are also investing to update and modernise their commercial space. (more…)

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