Search Results for: future of work

Summing up where the office now stands in the scheme of things

Summing up where the office now stands in the scheme of things

A painting in the style of Edward Hopper of a lone man waiting to board a commuter train to get to the office The argument about what it takes to encourage people to come into the office more often seems to have boiled down to an equation. It’s now common to hear somebody argue that the office has to be worth the commute it takes to get to it. So, if you want people to spend more time in the building, you need to do the maths. O must be greater than or equal to C More →

UK will be only developed country in world with lower employment in 2023 than pre-pandemic

UK will be only developed country in world with lower employment in 2023 than pre-pandemic

The cover image of the report into UK employment, consisting of a large arrow made up of numerous peopleA new report claims that the UK is undergoing one of the worst employment recoveries in the world, fuelled by a shrinking workforce and lack of access to effective employment support. Coming the week after the Bank of England forecast that unemployment could rise by half a million next year, and a week before the government announces its new spending plans, the case for reforms to how we help people and employers to fill jobs has never been stronger. More →

Responsible capitalism, and space as a service will shape real estate industry over next 20 years

Responsible capitalism, and space as a service will shape real estate industry over next 20 years

A flexible office space from Instant Offices, a pioneer of space as a serviceEurope’s real estate leaders have set out a long-term vision for the industry. In this scenario the most successful firms have adopted ‘responsible capitalism,’ the user is the centre of attention, the cycle of demolition and development has been broken, mixed-use is the norm and multi-disciplinary and in-house teams deliver space as a service across a range of sectors. Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2023, the twentieth annual survey of European real estate sector leaders’ expectations by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and PwC, has looked beyond the year ahead at the trends shaping the industry over the next two decades. This report captures the views of over 900 sector leaders from across Europe. More →

Bisley gifts staff over half of company in legacy move

Bisley gifts staff over half of company in legacy move

A n attractive Bisley workstation in a home settingBisley’s CEO, Richard Costin has announced that Anthony Brown, the owner of Newport based office furniture designer and manufacturing firm, Bisley, has established an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), gifting the employees 51 percent of the shares in the firm. Since joining Bisley in February 2020, Richard has been working closely with Mr Brown, regarding the business succession plan and the long-term future of Bisley and its employees. More →

Net zero carbon buildings standards coalition launches call for evidence

Net zero carbon buildings standards coalition launches call for evidence

An image of the Earth from space to illustrate net zero carbon buildingsThe team developing the UK’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (the NZCBS) has launched a call for evidence, to help inform and guide the development of the Standard. Once developed, the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard aims to provide a single agreed definition and methodology for the industry to determine what constitutes a net zero carbon building. The cross-industry group developing the Standard and championing this initiative includes representatives from the following organisations: Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Carbon Trust, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), Low Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and UK Green Building Council (UKGBC). More →

NeoCon 2023 calls on contributors to share their knowledge and expertise

NeoCon 2023 calls on contributors to share their knowledge and expertise

Chicago, home of the NeoCon annual trade fairNeoCon, the office design and interiors event that takes places in Chicago each year, is inviting thought leaders, researchers and industry specialists,  to submit proposals for its onsite and virtual show conference programme, which takes place from June 12-14, 2023, at THE MART in Chicago. Contributors are also sought for the event’s year-round educational offerings. The announcement builds on the success of a lively NeoCon edition this past June that the organisers claim united and inspired the industry. More →

Commercial property sector should embrace circular economy, say BCO

Commercial property sector should embrace circular economy, say BCO

A man relaxing in a green office space to illustrate the circular economy in the commercial property sectorA new report from the British Council for Offices (BCO) is urging the commercial property industry to ‘retain, extend life, reduce impact’ to futureproof offices. The report sets out to provide circular economy guidance to the office sector in relation to new-build, refurbishment and fit out. The Circular Economy in Offices report [BCO members only] claims to set out how offices can be designed and constructed in order to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials and regenerate nature. More →

Who’s driving this bus, anyway? A critical review of Leading People in Change by Jennifer Bryan

Who’s driving this bus, anyway? A critical review of Leading People in Change by Jennifer Bryan

A caterpillar sits on a dew dropped leaf to serve as a metaphor for changeWriting about change isn’t easy, but too many people try it. I tried it with Elemental Change (LID, 2020). Jennifer Bryan succeeded where I didn’t, and managed a short book about change. Her book Leading People in Change also succeeds where I didn’t by focussing on one aspect of change, leadership. So far so good, despite my initial uncomfortable reaction to the title suspecting it might be a handbook for ensuring people did what we wanted them to do, regardless. Fortunately, not so. More →

World Green Building Council launches guide to climate change resilience

World Green Building Council launches guide to climate change resilience

climate changeThe World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has launched a new industry guide on ‘Climate Change Resilience in the Built Environment’, collating effective and practical steps that can be taken on a building, community and city scale in order to adapt and build resilience to the changing climate. Under the inevitable impacts of climate change, which are affecting at least 85 percent of the world’s population, bringing acute hazards such as droughts, rising sea levels, heat waves and floods increasing frequency and severity, resilience action is essential to build community capacity to survive and thrive in our built environments. More →

Orgatec 2022 preview – a chance to create new friends and new memories

Orgatec 2022 preview – a chance to create new friends and new memories

 nighttime shot of Cologne, home to OrgatecFor as long as we’ve been in this industry, we’ve sat and chatted with leading lights from the London furniture market, first listening to fantastic tales and raucous anecdotes, and later telling our own recollections of Cologne. We originally wondered whether these stories were simply that – mere myths and Chinese whispers. Then, of course, we headed to Orgatec, we walked the halls of the Messe, we spent our evenings in the Alter Markt, and we returned to Blighty with our very own Cologne anecdotes. More →

Office utilisation in US returning to pre-pandemic levels, but structural changes remain

Office utilisation in US returning to pre-pandemic levels, but structural changes remain

office utilisation returning to normal?A new report from JLL claims that utilisation rates of US offices are returning to something closer to those of the pre-pandemic world, although hybrid working remains a far more widespread working practice than before. In addition, the focus of the market is shifting away from major city centres towards smaller, regional towns and cities. The US Office Outlook Report [registration] also suggests that higher quality office space is essential as lower grade offices are more likely to remain abandoned. More →

Gallery: British Council for Offices announces winners of national awards

Gallery: British Council for Offices announces winners of national awards

Sunderland City Hall was celebrated as ‘Best of the Best’ at the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) National Awards at the Grosvenor House hotel in London last night, also taking home the ‘Corporate Workplace’ award. The office was joined by six other award winners recognised as leading examples of excellence in office space across the UK. The BCO’s National Awards programme claims to recognises top quality office design and functionality and says it sets the standard for excellence across the office sector. More →