January 31, 2013

Apple achieves trademark for store designs

by Mark Eltringham • Legal news, News, Technology, Workplace design

It has long been a complaint of designers and marketers that courts do not understand design. For the most part this has made it difficult for them to trademark things like packaging designs and colours leaving them open to copycat designs which can seriously undermine a brand and make merchandising more difficult than it need be. Now Apple – who else? – has taken things to a whole new level by officially trademarking its distinctive shopping centre store design in the US.

January 29, 2013

£4 billion UK Government spend to be managed by Research Councils

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, News, Property, Public Sector

Around £4 billion of the UK Government’s spending on construction and facilities management projects is to be handled by The Research Council’s UK Shared Services Centre (RCUK SSC). The move has been agreed with the Government Procurement Service (GPS) as part of the coalition’s attempts to achieve cost savings in every part of the public sector. GPS projects that the move will save around 10 per cent of the budgeted spend by consolidating procurement procedures, although shared procurement services have sometimes failed to deliver anticipated saving in the past. More →

January 29, 2013

Sodexo Workplace Trends report covers familiar ground

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News, Technology, Workplace

The latest annual Workplace Trends Report from workplace services provider Sodexo claims to reveal the crucial role the built environment has in organisational performance. The report emphasises the growing strategic role of facilities management and the importance of sustainability as an element of corporate culture as well as a trend toward designing offices to attract and retain top talent by emphasising productivity and quality of life. The report also identifies the importance of social media in attracting prospective employees instead of traditional e-mail campaigns and other media.

January 27, 2013

UK Govt launches broker website for unwanted public sector property

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Public Sector

A new website that will let members of the UK public see for the first time what government property is available to buy or rent was launched on Friday. Find Me Some Government Space claims to operate in a similar way to commercial sites such as ‘rightmove’ by allowing organisations and individuals to identify available property and land using either a postcode or area keyword. The move comes as the government looks to divest itself of up to 1200 unused and unwanted public sector properties, some of which may have been empty for years.

January 25, 2013

Cost cutting measures are on the agenda, but may prove risky

by Sara Bean • Knowledge, News

The latest Office for National Statistics figures released today which show that the UK economy has shrunk might suggest that firms need to cut costs as they try to weather the economic storm. This idea is given credence by a major study into the procurement strategies of organisations which found three quarters doing exactly that. However another study suggests that we may be approaching the point at which further cost-cutting measures will destabilise supply chains, making price reductions counter productive and exposing buyers to a greater degree of risk. More →

January 25, 2013

Architects appointed for new Canary Wharf projects

by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, News, Property, Workplace design

A new development by Canary Wharf plc in London has appointed three architects to design its first six buildings. Allies and Morrison will create two new office buildings at Wood Wharf, Herzog &de Meuron have been commissioned to design a new residential tower and Stanton Williams will be responsible for the creation of three new residential blocks and a central courtyard. The overall mixed use scheme has been masterplanned by Terry Farrell and Partners.

January 24, 2013

Full extent of computer posture risks revealed

by Sara Bean • Knowledge, Lighting, News, Technology

Employee health is being put at risk in the workplace, a new report has revealed, with a majority of those polled in a recent survey saying they would score their office 55% in terms of smart computer use. According to the survey of 2,000 employees by energy and performance expert energiseYou, just over a quarter (30%) believe that their working environment is correctly designed for computer users, with for instance comfortable lighting levels. 37% complained of suffering from tension headaches or migraines and 66% experienced tension or feeling pain in their neck, back and shoulders. More →

January 23, 2013

Designing for productivity means creating space for us to be alone

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, Furniture, Knowledge, Workplace design

On the face of it, the case for working in open plan offices is clear cut. Not only are they more conducive to collaborative work and less bound by ideas of that great no-no that we used to call ‘status’, the economic case is seemingly open and shut. Open plan workstations not only take up around half the space of cellular offices, the fit-out costs are typically 25 per cent lower. And yet there are clear signs of a backlash, at least to the idea of them fostering collaborative work.

January 22, 2013

Europe’s commercial property investors opt for safe cities

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

German cities dominate the investment prospects for Europe’s commercial real estate sector as investors favour safe havens according to a new report – Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2013. Munich tops the league table followed closely by Berlin in second place and Hamburg in fifth position, with investors taking comfort from each of the cities’ strong local micro-economic climate and resilient property market conditions. London, which is seen by many as Europe’s safest investment, is the largest riser in this year’s report taking third position. More →

January 18, 2013

Go ahead granted for Manchester Airport business district

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

The application to build a new business district within the government-designated Airport City enterprise zone in Manchester has been granted outline planning permission by Manchester City Council. The UK coalition government made the area one of its first four “vanguard” enterprise zones in March 2011 to provide fastrack planning and tax breaks to encourage rapid development. The application involves the creation of 113,400 sq. m. of office space, 49,000 sq. m. of industrial units, and 5,800 sq. m. of retail and leisure facilities on the outskirts of Manchester. The £650 million scheme is anticipated to create over 11,000 jobs over the next 15 years.

January 18, 2013

Consensus in property industry for green agenda

by Sara Bean • Environment, News, Property, Public Sector

UKBC

The UK Green Building Council, backed by a wide range of trade and professional organisations across the construction and property sector, has sent an open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne demanding a suite of policy changes to make the most of the green growth opportunity. The level of collaboration and consensus from within the industry is unprecedented, and includes, among others, support from the British Property Federation, Construction Products Association, British Council for Offices and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

January 18, 2013

Google completes search for London HQ site

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Workplace design

US based technology giant Google has completed the long expected £1bn property deal for a brownfield site in the King’s Cross Regeneration Area in London. The 2.4 acre site is located between King’s Cross and St Pancras rail stations and will be used for the development of an up to 11 storey complex which is due to be complete during 2016. Google will rationalise its two existing London locations into the new office and workplace design aficionados will be expecting great things from a firm that is renowned for its original approach, most recently at its Covent Garden offices designed by Penson.