Search Results for: air quality

Two thirds of people believe their work travel patterns have changed permanently

Two thirds of people believe their work travel patterns have changed permanently

TravelAlphabet (GB) has published a new report examining how the pandemic has accelerated changes to travel and transport, altering consumer and business travel habits in UK cities. With mass migration to working from home, in March, road traffic travel dropped to levels not seen since 1955 and journeys on the London Underground fell by 95 percent. The report suggests that only six percent of those travelling to work by train feel comfortable, dropping to just four percent for tube users. More →

EDGE adds building software to its portfolio of innovations

EDGE adds building software to its portfolio of innovations

Sustainable  tech-led real estate pioneers EDGE have built upon their already impressive reputation as an innovator with the launch of a software platform that offers what the firm claims is a “seamless solution for optimising any office building’s performance”. It claims that EDGE Next allows “tenants and owners to transform their offices into smarter, healthier and more sustainable spaces in which people and companies can truly thrive”. The EDGE Next platform also sets out to ensure the wellbeing of employees by monitoring air quality and the numbers of people in a spaces, which it claims will make offices safer for work during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. More →

Second cities safeguard the UK from future economic crises

Second cities safeguard the UK from future economic crises

Second citiesSingapore, Helsinki and Zurich have come top in the 2020 Smart City Index, a study carried out by the Institute for Management Development (IMD). In a year that saw many European cities fall in the rankings, London, managed to jump five places compared to 2019, though it still stayed well outside of the global top 10 at 15, followed closely by the UKs second cities. More →

People struggle with home working environments and solitude

People struggle with home working environments and solitude

People are productive at home and want to retain flexible working after lockdown, but struggle with sub-optimal working environments and a lack of interaction with colleagues. That is the main finding from a survey by property technology company, Equiem. The firm has published the results of its most comprehensive global office occupier survey to date, providing landlords and tenants alike with valuable insights into occupier sentiment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. More →

People all over the world believe their cities should be smart and sustainable

People all over the world believe their cities should be smart and sustainable

Today’s city living is falling short of citizens’ increased expectations in the digital age. This is according to a new report from the Capgemini Research Institute that explored responses from 10,000 citizens and over 300 city officials across 10 countries and 58 cities. It found that many citizens are frustrated with the current set up of the city in which they live and are prepared to show their opinion by leaving for a more digitally advanced city. On average, 40 percent of residents may leave their city in the future due to a variety of pain points including digital frustrations. More →

Remote work and office life go hand in hand in a flexible future

Remote work and office life go hand in hand in a flexible future

serviced offices and remote workThe COVID-19 pandemic changed numerous aspects of how we live and work and led to a massive remote work experiment. A JLL survey of more than 3,000 employees working in multi-national companies across the globe claims that 71 percent of people have  worked from home during the pandemic, and that 58 percent missed the office and 44 percent missed human interaction and socialising with colleagues. The largest cohort who missed the office was the under 35s, or millennials, with 65 percent citing poor home-office environments and missing support from their managers.

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Talkin` about the quarantine generation

Talkin` about the quarantine generation

The year is 2045. It’s well over twenty years since the Covid 19 pandemic created chaos and fear throughout the world. But just like the ‘baby boomer’ generation who were born, celebrated and cherished in the wake of World War II, so the ‘quarantinis’ are starting to make their way in the world of work. In contrast to baby boomers’ desire to throw off the societal shackles which paved the way for the swinging 60s, the quarantinis are much more reserved in their expectations, especially when their every move can be tracked and traced and their every conversation saved on surveillance software. More →

Building systems must be rethought before a return to the office

Building systems must be rethought before a return to the office

Preparing an office for safe re-occupation is about much more than turning on the lights.  Once it is agreed who will be working and when, there needs to be a thorough re-evaluation of air conditioning and ventilation systems, according to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). The Institution, whose membership includes the UKs leading experts on ventilation and air quality in buildings, has produced a series of guides for businesses looking to understand how their workspaces can be re-populated while minimising risk to their staff. More →

The language barrier to wellbeing in the workplace

The language barrier to wellbeing in the workplace

In a recent piece for the Architects Journal, incoming BCO President Paul Patenall extolled the virtues of a Danish idea called Arbejdsglaede, (almost) literally the joy of work. There is no equivalent word in English, of course, but it also taps into our assumption that we can learn a thing or two from our Scandinavian cousins about wellbeing and the ways in which we should find happiness in our daily lives and surroundings.

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We need to talk more about how we get to work in the first place

We need to talk more about how we get to work in the first place

More and more politicians and business leaders are keen to see the UK ease lockdown and begin a move towards returning to work. Is it’s too early to plan the exit from lockdown? Maybe. But either way, the general chatter about what a post COVID19 will look has predictably fanned the debate about how workplace will cope. It is a good debate, with valid ideas shared by the likes of Antony Slumbers, Neil Usher and others. More →

The lockdown gives us a chance to reconsider business ethics

The lockdown gives us a chance to reconsider business ethics

The past few weeks have been a time of extreme disruption and tension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but there has been a sliver of good news – people around the world have been quick to notice the environmental benefits of people remaining in their homes. More →

The new ways of work in our lives after lockdown

The new ways of work in our lives after lockdown

And so our timelines flit from 5G conspiracy theorists, to 10 tips for your home office, Zoom group selfies, right back to where we started: the worn out topic of ‘the future of workplace‘. We’re in something of a collective thought process, excluding Donald Trump that is, who is clearly on his own individual trajectory. More →