Search Results for: refurbishment

RIBA submits plans for new offices near its landmark Art Deco HQ

by • Architecture, News, Property

76 Portland Place W1

76 Portland Place, W1

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has submitted a planning application for the creation of new high-quality new offices near its London headquarters. 76 Portland Place, London W1, which currently houses the Institute of Physics is being designed by a team led by award-winning architects Theis and Khan and is next door but one to RIBA’s Art Deco landmark building at 66 Portland Place. Built in 1958, it was designed by Howard V Lobb and Partners and had a ground floor extension added in the mid-1990s. The planning application includes the complete refurbishment and alterations of the existing office building to create office spaces and meeting rooms for around 180 staff – located over five floors; including first to sixth in the main building and first and second in the mews building. More →

Largest single office floor plate unveiled in Leeds as demand for space increases

by • Company news, News, Property

No 1 Whiteall RiversideThe largest single office floor plate currently available in Leeds city centre has been unveiled, following the completion of a £1million refurbishment programme at one of the city’s landmark office schemes. The NFU Mutual insurance firm, which owns No 1 Whitehall Riverside, has refurbished 34,000 sq ft of space within the building to transform the 4th and 5th floors. In a first for the Leeds office market, 100 per cent LED lighting has been installed on both floors, to provide low maintenance, good quality lighting which will reduce CO2 emissions for future occupiers. Joint letting agents Jones Lang LaSalle and DTZ say that the building, which provides 127,731 sq ft of office accommodation over eight floors, helps to meet increasing demand for quality office space in the centre of Leeds. More →

UK Green Building Council partners with Ecobuild to agree event programme

by • Environment, Events, Facilities management, News

UK Green Building Council partners with Ecobuild to agree sustainable event programmeThe UK Green Building Council has entered into a new long-term partnership with Ecobuild, the annual event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment. The agreement means the two organisations will work closely on the programme of events for Ecobuild to promote the business case for a greener and more sustainable built environment. UK-GBC Chief Executive Paul King, who already sits on the Ecobuild Advisory Board, said: “This partnership marks the start of a new and exciting chapter in our close relationship with Ecobuild, an event which has firmly placed sustainable construction on the UK and international agenda over the past ten years.” More →

Norway’s tallest tower named as one of the winners of the Nordic Built Challenge

by • Architecture, Environment, Facilities management, News

Urban mountain front 1Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has been announced as one of the five winners of the Nordic Built Challenge with plans for Urban Mountain – the tallest tower in Norway.  Nordic Built Challenge is a design contest based around the refurbishment of existing buildings. The objective of the competition is to encourage the sustainable refurbishment of some of the most common building types in the Nordic region by showcasing innovation in major projects across the region. The other four winners of the competition were Ellebo Garden Room in Denmark, Cape Green in Iceland, Fittja People’s Palace in Sweden and Equlibrium in Finland. All of the winning entries can be viewed here.

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If you are moving to new offices, make sure you can get rid of the old ones first

by • Facilities management, Property, Public Sector, Workplace design

Building 1000 - seemed like a good idea at the time

Building 1000 – seemed like a good idea at the time

One of the most common reasons for large organisations to move to new offices is a consolidation of an extensive and disparate estate that has developed over a long period of time. But what happens when the benefits of the move are scuppered because the organisation finds it impossible to get rid of its old buildings? That is the question facing Newham Borough Council as it emerges that it may have to quit the controversially swanky £110 million offices it moved to in 2010 and back into some of the 26 properties it left at the time and has struggled to unburden itself of since.

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CBI calls on Government to incentivise businesses to invest in energy efficiency

by • Environment, Facilities management, Legal news, Property

carrot incentiveThe Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has published a new report calling on the Government to adopt a more streamlined and integrated approach to energy efficiency policies, including those relevant for the UK’s commercial buildings. The report also addresses a range of related benefits and obligations for companies to help them cut costs, manage risk and open up commercial opportunities. The report argues that energy efficiency has been neglected for too long, despite the fact that Government figures show a domestic industry that is growing at 4 percent a year, is worth £17.6bn in sales and supports 136,000 jobs.

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Sharp increase in UK commercial property activity during July

by • Knowledge, News, Property

commercial-propertyThe signs that the UK’s economic recovery is now underway are given credibility with news that the UK’s commercial property sector is at its most buoyant for six years. According to a report from Savills which looked at new build and refurbishment activity during July, a fifth (20.1percent) of UK developers reported an increase in activity compared to 18.9 percent in June. Savills claims this is the greatest rate of growth since May 2007. The rise was driven primarily by an increase in private sector work as reported by nearly a third (31.4 percent) of developers, with only 1.4 percent reporting a rise in public sector activity. Developers are also optimistic about their prospects in the near future, with a quarter (25.1 percent) saying they were positive about what would happen over the next three months, up from 14 percent in June. The Savills report links this positivity to greater occupier confidence and more finance from banks.

FMs must overcome engagement barriers to sustainability implementation

by • Environment, Facilities management, News

Engagement still barrier to successful sustainability implementation

There is overwhelming support for sustainability to be embedded into business operations, but still some challenges in its successful delivery, according to the 7th annual Sustainability in Facilities Management survey from the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM).  Of the top five barriers to implementation success, three related to engagement; engagement overall, amongst senior management and middle management. The report also found that many FMs are not targeting the areas of highest priority relating to behaviours or processes which have the highest impact, but tend to focus on technologies. More →

Design Museum sale paves way for resurrection of Commonwealth Institute

by • Architecture, Comment, News, Property, Workplace design

Commonwealth InstituteDeskheads of a certain vintage may have viewed the news that Zaha Hadid had bought the Design Museum’s London home for £10 million in a somewhat different light to much of the media that reported the sale. While journalists succumbed to the apparently irresistible pull of architectural headline magnet Zaha, to some of us the interesting part of the story was that the sale finally freed the Design Museum to move to the long empty Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington. The building is one of the most architecturally important modern buildings in London and has a long association not only with The Commonwealth Institute educational charity but as a venue for cultural events and exhibitions of design, not least the now defunct Prima and Spectrum exhibitions which did so much to promote commercial interior design in the UK.

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Artists sing about office furniture. Part 3 – Arctic Monkeys

Artists sing about office furniture. Part 3 – Arctic Monkeys

by • Comment, Furniture

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Something for the weekend. Or at least something for those of you who might be moving office this weekend. The Arctic Monkeys sing not only about office furniture, but create the great rock anthem for the facilities manager – not to mention all those who on Monday will arrive into their offices following this weekend’s refurbishment or office relocation to find things are not quite as they once were or they wanted them to be. This is a topic we will return to in detail in Monday following this week’s Clerkenwell Design Week, which amongst other things saw the inaugural event of the BIFM Workplace Special Interest Group, of which great things are expected.

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Plans for redevelopment of iconic BBC Television Centre confirmed

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

BBC television centre redesign plans confirmed

Detailed plans to open up and transform the BBC’s Television Centre into a mixed use development including office and studio space for the BBC have been released today. Developers Stanhope and the BBC revealed in February that for the first time, Television Centre will be opened up to the public and the famous forecourt remodelled. The BBC will remain at Television Centre operating studios and BBC Worldwide will consolidate their new home at Television Centre, following refurbishment. The remaining offices are aimed at occupiers in the creative sector. The much loved listed buildings at Television Centre will be retained. More →

Commercial construction sector grew in first quarter of 2013

by • Facilities management, News, Property, Workplace

Steady growth in the commercial construction sector

There has been a steady growth in the UK commercial construction sector in the first quarter of this year, according to international property recruitment consultancy Judd Farris. The commercial construction sector has experienced steady growth, with a resulting high demand for experienced commercial candidates with knowledge of fit-outs and general build. There is also a strong recent demand for strategic sourcing candidates within Facilities Management. Said Tom Flood, Associate Director,  Judd Farris: “As part of continuing cost-saving measures, companies are keen to appoint procurement specialists to effectively manage their strategic sourcing and supplier contracts.” More →

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