May 17, 2024
Manchester is poised to become a major player in the digital government landscape following a significant land deal announced this week. The Government Property Agency (GPA) has exchanged contracts with Manchester City Council (MCC) to acquire five acres of the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats, paving the way for the construction of the Manchester Digital Campus. (more…)
May 13, 2024
Seven real estate industry associations have announced a new taskforce to develop a comprehensive carbon pricing strategy for the sector that takes a value chain perspective and enables pricing to be incorporated into investment decision making and accelerate its adoption. (more…)
April 30, 2024
A new poll from BSI claims that employee health and employer flexibility are key elements to harness a future age-diverse workforce. Evolving Together: Flourishing in the age-diverse workforce considers how today’s business leaders think businesses and policymakers can respond to demographic changes to enable individuals to thrive and organizations to grow as greater numbers work beyond the age of 65. (more…)
April 25, 2024
At a recent event, the Government Property Agency brought together Civil Service leaders to exchange ideas, debate trends and inform how the GPA delivers its property services. The GPA is leading one of the country’s biggest and most ambitious workplace renewal programmes for its clients – delivering a smaller, better connected, better quality, and greener property estate to support the work of Civil Service teams and bring them closer to the communities they serve. (more…)
April 23, 2024
A report published by the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation sets out what its authors claim are best practices developed by pioneer cities that are reducing carbon emissions from urban development projects. As cities grow in population and importance, urban construction will continue to gather pace. It is estimated that the global floor area is expected to double by 2060, the equivalent of building out New York City every month for the next 40 years. The report, Reducing Embodied Carbon in Cities: Nine Solutions for Greener Buildings and Communities, highlights nine innovative solutions for all phases of construction and demolition. (more…)
April 17, 2024
An extraordinary edition of CIFF Guangzhou has just concluded, recording the highest number of exhibitors and visitors ever. This success rewarded the strategy of CIFF, an ever-evolving exhibition event with a key role in the development of the global furniture industry, promoting design and innovation, boosting consumption, and fostering international furniture trade. A total area measuring 850,000 square metres; 4,700 exhibitors, 11.8% more than the all-time pre-pandemic peak in 2019; 363,449 trade visitors, 22.06% more than in 2019, including 51,205 international visitors from 178 countries, an increase of as much as +43.11% compared to 2019. (more…)
April 11, 2024
In any crisis, there are people who spot an opportunity. One such opportunity, in early 2020, was to seize the term “hybrid” and apply it to the world of work and place. And for the past four years, we have seen the emergence of polarised commentators, arguing over two extremes; work from home, and ‘back to the office’ and the nominally new construct ‘hybrid working’. Mostly, entirely missing the spectrum of work and workstyles which can co-exist. (more…)
April 10, 2024
With an estimated 27,000 delegates from 90 countries, MIPIM is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to opportunities to network and learn as delegates, with organisations using the week to deliver news, insights and thinking. The theme for MIPIM this year was The Global Urban Community; and it really did feel more international than previous years, the majority of attendees are still from France, Germany and the UK, but there were significant delegations from the United States, Canada, Oman, Egypt and Hong Kong, more from Asia generally and a show stopper from Saudi Arabia, more of which later. (more…)
March 25, 2024
The UK Space Agency is opening new headquarters in Harwell, Oxfordshire and regional offices in Scotland, Wales and the Midlands as it works to support the space sector across the UK. According to the government, the expansion will enable the Agency to collaborate more closely with the UK’s space sector, while promoting regional skills and job opportunities to deliver ‘increasingly ambitious missions and capabilities’. As set out in the Space Industrial Plan, the government says it is committed to continuing its support for space clusters across the UK and ‘providing the tools needed to drive collaboration between them and catalyse further investment’. (more…)
March 21, 2024
Fitwel, the building health certification system, has announced the winners of the 2024 Best in Building Health Awards. The awards are designed to honour the most innovative real estate companies and individuals ‘setting the standard for health and wellbeing in the built environment across the globe, leveraging the trusted Fitwel Standard to enhance quality of life and drive value through design and operational excellence’. This year’s winners include projects from Canada, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Thailand, and the United States. (more…)
March 20, 2024
The landscape of flexible working has witnessed unprecedented growth, spurred by the evolving needs of businesses in the aftermath of the pandemic. Despite the economic turbulence of 2023, the flexible office market has remained strong in the UK, achieving a record overall occupancy of 83 percent in the same year. As the demand for adaptable and collaborative working environments continues to rise, landlords and operators of flexible workspaces need to ensure that what they offer is meeting customer demands. Given the number of notable operator closures, many landlords are beginning to find themselves at the forefront of decisions about managing and revitalising failing operations. (more…)
May 15, 2024
Mastering GenAI: how to bridge skills gaps and boost employee confidence
by Bill O'Shea • Comment, Workplace