A new analysis from JLL claims to highlight how global occupiers are rethinking corporate real estate as a strategic tool for talent, culture and performance rather than treating it purely as a cost. The report identifies five priorities expected to influence workplace strategy in the year ahead, reflecting continued pressure on portfolios alongside rising expectations for employee experience and sustainability. JLL says organisations are increasingly shifting to more flexible “elastic portfolios” as they look to balance cost control with growth. Office utilisation remains well below target levels, prompting a move away from long, fixed leases in favour of portfolios that can expand or contract according to market conditions, workforce needs or new business opportunities. The firm argues that portfolio management is now closer to a continuous process than a periodic exercise.

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Rotterdam has granted approval for a substantial new office development known as the Schieblocks, a 47,000-square-metre project that is set to become the largest privately built office building currently under construction in the Netherlands. Designed by MVRDV for developer LSI, the scheme occupies a long and narrow site beside the railway line and rises to 61 metres, with commercial uses at ground level and a restaurant and event space on the upper floors. Its form is broken into a series of distinct blocks, each intended to create a more approachable scale and reflect characteristics of the city. (more…)

This week, four real estate projects were named the overall winners of the 2025 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe Awards for Excellence from this year’s ten finalists. The winning projects include a social housing project in Milan situated on an abandoned office development site, a new secondary school in Brussels developed in a former brewery, a new flexible life sciences hub in Stockholm, and an acute healthcare facility in Birmingham which is intended as a catalyst for community regeneration. (more…)

The world’s major business districts are recovering their appeal after the disruption of Covid-19, according to new research from EY and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The 2025 Global Business Districts Attractiveness Report shows that nearly two thirds of surveyed stakeholders now consider these districts more attractive than before the pandemic. The study assesses 30 leading districts across Europe, North America and Asia using 2,400 data points measuring macroeconomic performance, talent, real estate, innovation and sustainability. The findings suggest that long-established hubs retain their dominance, with Midtown Manhattan, the Financial District in New York, Tokyo Marunouchi, Paris La Défense (pictured) and the City of London occupying the top five positions. Collectively, the districts generate USD 4.5 trillion in annual GDP and provide more than seven million jobs. (more…)

The cost of prime office space continued to climb in the third quarter of 2025, rising by 0.8 percent worldwide, according to Savills’ latest Prime Office Costs report. The increase takes the total average rise in costs over the past year to 3.3 percent, with rental growth now the main factor behind the trend. Savills reports that 25 of the 40 markets it tracks recorded higher average net effective occupier costs, which include rent and fit-out expenses. While global rents increased by an average of 0.9 percent during the quarter, fit-out and associated costs were largely unchanged, rising only 0.03 percent. (more…)

The UK Cabinet Office has published updated functional guidance titled Managing Surplus Government Property, setting out how government departments should identify, evaluate and dispose of surplus real estate within the central government estate. The document was released on 10 November 2025. The guidance replaces the earlier Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land and reflects a broadened scope, placing greater emphasis on reviewing multiple options and combining factors when considering disposal or reuse of property assets. (more…)

Office leasing activity at Canary Wharf has risen sharply this year as higher rents in other parts of London prompt more occupiers to consider the Docklands district. Data from CoStar suggests that the availability of office space at Canary Wharf has fallen to below 10 percent, its lowest level since 2018. Two years ago, vacancy stood at about 23 percent. More than 500,000 square feet of space has been leased so far in 2025, the highest level since 2019, with further deals expected before the end of the year. (more…)

The number of coworking spaces in the UK and Ireland has reached a new peak, according to new industry data, signalling the continuing shift in how offices are being used. Data from CoworkingCafe’s third quarter 2025 report show around 4,315 coworking locations across the region, of which approximately 4,048 are in the UK and 267 in Ireland. In the UK the distribution is heavily concentrated in major urban centres. Greater London alone hosts roughly 1,191 coworking sites. Manchester follows as a leading regional hub with around 120 spaces, while Glasgow and Birmingham also show significant numbers at 68 and 67 respectively. (more…)