June 4, 2013

First non-UK BREEAM outstanding award redraws the green building battle lines

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

The jostling for position in the field of environmental accreditations for buildings has taken a new turn with the announcement that a project in the Czech republic is the first commercial building outside the UK to achieve a BREEAM outstanding rating. The Tower at the Spielberk development in Brno designed by architects Studio Acht is, according to the Building Research Establishment (BRE), a true demonstration of good design, reducing CO2 emissions by over 50 percent compared to a typical building, built to Czech regulations. BRE Director Martin Townsend awarded the BREEAM outstanding certificate to Stefan de Goeij, Head of Property Management at CTP, for the office building which is located in the centre of the Czech Republic’s emerging high-tech city of Brno.

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June 4, 2013

Generation Y workers take most pride in the workplace, poll finds

by Sara Bean • Knowledge, News, Workplace

Over half (58.1 per cent) of UK workers are proud to work for their current organisation, and younger workers feel the most pride, according to a new poll. The latest in a bewildering series of contradictory stats on Generation Y – finds that over three fifths (64.1 per cent) of employees aged between 16-24 say they are proud of working for their current employer. But the research by recruiter hyphen suggests that while pride is high, managers may not be directly responsible for the rise. Just six out of 10 (62.8 per cent) workers believe their organisation seeks their opinion, listens and respects their views, dropping from over three quarters (77.9 per cent) in January 2013.

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June 3, 2013

Whitehall savings boosted by property and procurement efficiencies

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Knowledge, News, Public Sector

The joint Cabinet Office and Treasury initiative the Efficiency and Reform Group has exceeded the Government’s savings target by 25 per cent to make an overall saving of £10 billion, Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude announced today. The savings made include; £1.1 billion made by boosting online services and selling empty buildings and exiting expensive rentals in sought-after locations; £1.7 billion by reviewing large scale projects including construction, and stripping out inefficiencies; and a further £3.8 billion was saved in procurement, by linking together departments to buy goods and services.

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May 31, 2013

RIBA and CIBSE call for collaboration in CarbonBuzz initiative

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, Knowledge, News, Property, Public Sector, Technology

The CarbonBuzz energy benchmarking initiative, backed jointly by the RIBA and CIBSE gets a new online platform next week. The CarbonBuzz project allows users to record, share and compare the real energy use of building projects and to shed light on the differences between predicted and operational performance. Now RIBA and CIBSE are calling on architects and building services engineers to upload their projects to CarbonBuzz and re-energise the industry’s benchmarking database, which was first launched in 2008. Both institutes have spearheaded the publication of energy data in their annual awards schemes and point out that CarbonBuzz is the best way to demonstrate energy credentials. (more…)

May 31, 2013

UK employment recovery could take up to four years finds research

by Sara Bean • Knowledge, News, Workplace

It will now be more than four years before the UK restores the employment rate of 2008 – and jobs recovery could take far longer. According to a new analysis from independent think tank the Resolution Foundation, it is now all but certain that the current jobs recovery will take longer than that following either the 1980s or 1990s recessions. The new findings are based on calculations of the UK ‘jobs gap’, the number of jobs the UK needs to create in order to restore the 2008 employment rate. The tough figures are explained partly by the UK’s ageing workforce, as a third of the current jobs gap is down to the growing share of the workforce aged over 64, which is growing twice as fast as the population aged 16-64. (more…)

May 30, 2013

Shared rather than serviced offices could save businesses thousands

by Sara Bean • Company news, Facilities management, News

London desk renters could save almost £200 a month by choosing a shared office over a serviced office, according to new research. The Office Genie Price Index has revealed that the average desk in a shared office in London costs £335, while a desk in a serviced office was found to cost on average £513 per month; £178 more. This saving of 35 per cent on the price of a serviced desk makes shared offices an affordable alternative in the world’s most expensive city for office rental, where a single square foot of office space in London can cost up to £170.

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May 29, 2013

Mayor confirms £1billion China gateway business district in London

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

London mayor Boris Johnson has confirmed the details of a £1bn investment in a new business district that will transform the Royal Docks into a 35 acre gateway project aimed primarily at firms from China and Asia looking to establish a business foothold in the UK and Europe. The site is intended to deliver more than 2.5m sq ft of office as well as retail and leisure facilities under the plans. Chinese owned developer ABP will work with Stanhope and architects Farrells with the first firms taking up occupancy in 2017. The Greater London Authority said the proposed development would create 20,000 full-time jobs, and inject £6bn into the UK economy, with £23m in business rates generated annually. No tenants are confirmed at this stage although the developers claim interest from Chinese banks is said to be high.

May 29, 2013

Crown Estate in £320m joint venture to redevelop area around Regent Street

by Sara Bean • Company news, News, Property

The Crown Estate, which manages the Queen’s property portfolio has announced a joint 50/50 – £320 million venture with Canadian real estate company, Oxford Properties. The Crown Estate, which will retain the freehold and take the lead role in the development says the St James’s scheme will provide 210,000 ft² of prime office and 50,000 ft² of flagship retail and restaurant space in two blocks located between London’s Regent Street and Haymarket. The project forms part of the Crown Estate’s ten-year investment strategy for St James’s and will transform a run-down back street service yard and taxi ‘rat-run’ with: “a fantastic new amenity for St James’s, revitalising half and acre of public realm and creating a new 10,000 ft² pedestrian square for world-class business, shopping and dining.” (more…)

May 28, 2013

Three quarters of London investment banks set to trim corporate real estate

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Property

According to a new report from CBRE, nearly three quarters (72 percent) of investment banks based in London are looking to cut their corporate real estate portfolios over the next two years as they adjust to a changing global market for their services as well as structural changes in the UK’s regulatory framework. As well as trimming London based properties, the report says that banks will continue to relocate functions to the UK regions in an effort to reduce costs. Since the low point of 2009, rents in the City of London have increased from £42.50 per sq ft to about £55 per sq ft. The survey also found that just over a third (34 percent) of banks expect to see cuts as a result of mergers and acquisitions in the sector.

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May 28, 2013

Wellness programmes largely a waste of time, claims US report

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Workplace

According to press agency Reuters, a long-awaited report on workplace wellness programmes, which has yet to be published, delivers a blow to the increasingly popular efforts by employers to address the waistline of employees as well as the bottom line of their businesses. According to a report by researchers at RAND Corp in the US, the now commonplace corporate sanctioned wellness programmes that encourage employees to become healthier and reduce absenteeism and medical costs only have a modest effect. RAND delivered the analysis to the U.S. Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services last Autumn as part of a Government review ahead of new legislation.

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May 26, 2013

Interiors Group wins new projects in MIddle East

by Mark Eltringham • Company news, News, Workplace design

Abdul Latif Jameel, a Saudi Arabia based distributor for Toyota has appointed The Interiors Group to fit out 22,000 sq feet of space in their new corporate headquarters in Dubai. The Interiors Group will work alongside the UAE based operations of BDP and Whitby Mohajer to deliver the project. The contract is the latest success for the company in the region following its recent win of a contract to fit out the new Middle East Headquarters of OiLibya. The project, based in the Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, covers some 11,000 sq feet and is due for completion in June. The project was architecturally designed by Artillery with services by Whitby Mohajer Engineering Consultants. The Interiors Group have also been awarded a 3500 sq feet contract for Optasense in Dubai, in the Jumeirah Business Centre.