August 12, 2026
The strongest case for workplace AI rarely begins with a dramatic breakthrough. It begins with ordinary time savings: a report drafted faster, a plan assembled in minutes or a first pass produced without the usual blank-page delay. Those gains matter. Yet speed can become a dangerous proxy for value when leaders stop asking what happened to the judgment behind the work. (more…)
August 12, 2026
Our sector produces an enormous amount of content about change, and almost all of it is published after the outcome is known. Case studies of offices appear once the move-in has gone well. Award entries are written once the risks have been mitigated. What gets shared among us is, overwhelmingly, a library of polished endings. Work in Motion is an attempt at the complete opposite. It’s a six-part documentary podcast series following the inside story of Work Beyond Walls – a brand new event at the Boiler Shop in Newcastle on 9 and 10 September – written and presented by me, Ian Ellison, as plans unfold, rather than once the event has happened. (more…)
August 9, 2026
The Barbican Centre has launched an international search for a designer or design team to develop a new furniture strategy for its public spaces as part of its £231 million renewal programme. The commission will involve creating a bespoke range of up to 500 pieces for the Grade II-listed arts centre, alongside identifying opportunities to reuse existing furniture and introduce suitable off-the-shelf products. The appointment is expected to run from 2026 to 2029.
The competition is open to designers and teams based anywhere in the world, with proposals due by 28 August. A shortlist is expected to proceed to a full tender process in September, with an appointment planned for November. The new furniture will be used throughout the Barbican’s public spaces and could include armchairs, sofas, coffee tables, bar stools, communal benches with parasols and stackable chairs for larger events. Accessibility, flexibility and sustainability will be central to the brief.
The work will cover areas including the Lakeside, Sculpture Court and Learning Spaces, as well as redesigned foyers being developed by Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio.
The Barbican said recent audience feedback, inclusive design work and co-design with visitors had highlighted a need for furniture that was more welcoming, cohesive, accessible and adaptable to the range of activities taking place across the centre.
Furniture has played a significant role in the Barbican’s identity since it opened in 1982. Designer Robin Day produced bespoke seating, sofas, chairs and tables specifically for the building, although much of the original furniture has since been replaced.
Philippa Simpson, chief operating officer at the Barbican Centre, said furniture had always helped shape how people experienced the building. “We’re looking for a designer or design team to create objects of quality and comfort, that respond to the Barbican’s extraordinary architecture and artistic purpose,” she said. “We want these new designs to accommodate the remarkable range of activities that take place in our spaces, ensuring every single visitor knows they are welcome.”
Alex Watt, architect at Asif Khan Studio, said the commission offered an opportunity to extend the design thinking being applied to the centre’s foyers, while retaining the character of the original architecture.
The furniture project forms part of the wider Barbican Renewal programme, which is intended to conserve and upgrade the building ahead of its 50th anniversary while improving its accessibility, sustainability and suitability for future use. The centre receives more than 30,000 visitors on an average day.
August 6, 2026
Ask a finance director what their ERP system does and most will describe what it used to do: hold the ledger, run payroll, generate the month-end report nobody reads until something in it is wrong. That description is going stale fast. The systems running underneath most mid-sized and large businesses are changing shape, and the change matters well beyond the finance department. It touches headcount planning, office layout, training pipelines, and how quickly a business can respond when the market shifts under it. (more…)
August 5, 2026
The digital edition of issue 20 of Works magazine is now available for you to read here. The new issue explores a workplace sector that is becoming increasingly confident about its future, even as it navigates rapid technological, social and economic change. The latest edition brings together major workplace projects, design debates and industry commentary that point to a common theme: the enduring value of connection, community and shared experience in an age of uncertainty. (more…)
August 4, 2026
A lack of consistency in recycling bin colours across UK local authorities is creating unnecessary complexity for organisations attempting to comply with England’s Simpler Recycling regulations, according to new research based on Freedom of Information requests. Analysis by commercial waste services provider Direct365 found at least 80 different combinations of bin colours are currently in use across 190 local authorities, raising concerns that the absence of a national colour-coding system is undermining efforts to improve recycling performance. (more…)
August 3, 2026
Giving employees more control over the artwork displayed in their workplace could improve wellbeing, job satisfaction and engagement, according to a new systematic review from researchers at the University of Roehampton. The review, published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, found evidence that visual office art can have a positive effect on employees’ psychological wellbeing and workplace experience, with the greatest benefits seen when workers are able to choose or position artwork themselves. (more…)
July 27, 2026
Throughout this decade, global challenges have shined a spotlight on the facility management (FM) industry and its professionals like never before. From pandemics to climate events and geopolitical instability, these challenges have tested organizations in unprecedented ways. While many debated the meaning of terms like “the new normal,” facility managers demonstrated competence, strategic planning and decisive leadership to keep their organizations and people moving forward. From the C-suite to workers and visitors, organizations have become acutely aware of FM’s influence as critical enablers to ensure organizational, environmental and personal health. (more…)
July 23, 2026
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published the results of the third survey among its members into attitudes towards, and usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI).?It outlines how artificial intelligence (AI) adoption has changed, how its use has developed and how design professionals view the AI-influenced future. The poll found that while adoption is widespread, most respondents don’t think AI improves the quality of their work, and have become more pessimistic about their future as well as the long term impact on the profession as the tech reduces the number of entry level roles. (more…)
July 22, 2026
The Crown Estate has announced two major mixed-use developments in London’s West End as part of what it describes as the largest programme of office developments in its history. The projects at 10 Piccadilly and 21–29 Glasshouse Street will deliver a combined 169,300 sq ft of office, retail and hospitality space, continuing the organisation’s programme of refurbishing and redeveloping heritage buildings across its central London estate. The schemes form part of The Crown Estate’s wider strategy for its 10 million sq ft London portfolio, which combines office development with retail, leisure and public realm improvements aimed at maintaining the West End’s appeal as a business and visitor destination. (more…)
July 22, 2026
A sudden, intense summer heatwave does more than test a building’s cooling systems; it exposes just how difficult workplace management has become across Europe. During these spikes, employees rethink their commute, meeting rooms fill and empty at different times, quieter corners suddenly become more attractive places to work, and facilities teams work hard to keep buildings comfortable while managing rising energy demands. While these changes may only last a few days, they serve as a useful reminder that workplaces are far more dynamic than we often give them credit for. People no longer use offices in the same way every day, every week or every season, yet many of the decisions shaping the future of our workplaces still assume that they do. (more…)
August 16, 2026
Is resilience a personality trait or a flaw in workplace design?
by Carl Lyon • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design