July 15, 2021

The weird science of personal creativity

by Robin Bayliss • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Perhaps the most famous single act of personal creativity – with apologies to Archimedes – is Mary Godwin’s moment of inspiration for the story of Frankenstein in 1816. It was born from a wet summer in a villa on the shores of Lake Geneva, largely spent with her future husband Percy Shelley, John Polidori and Lord Byron. The poor weather and isolation meant the party had to entertain themselves the best they could. (more…)

May 24, 2021

Jooxter launches new Essential Collaboration Pack to help people plan where they work

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Property, Technology

Jooxter has announced the expansion of its operations into the UK and Ireland. Jooxter is a leading provider of smart workplace solutions designed to help businesses manage their digital workplace strategy by optimising building occupancy, managing workspaces and enabling collaboration. Founded in France in 2014 by CEO Fabien Girerd, Jooxter offers web and mobile applications combined with QR codes and IoT networks to provide real-time visualisation of a building’s occupancy and analytics. This gives companies a smart way of managing and optimising the use of the office space they have. (more…)

March 31, 2021

From the archive: A new approach to office design is redefining property ⁰

by Gary Chandler • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Workplace design

At the end of the 18th Century it was becoming apparent that overpopulation was something the human race would need to address for perhaps the first time. Advances in technology and the urbanisation that followed the Industrial Revolution had created a new set of challenges. These were most famously laid out in a 1798 book called An Essay on the Principle of Population, written by an English cleric called Thomas Malthus.

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March 12, 2021

Indoor air quality is more important than ever, and Tarkett is leading the way

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The pandemic has certainly opened our eyes to the importance of constantly washing our hands, sterilising everything in sight and realising just how far germs can travel through the air, causing us to wince at the thought of a time where we huddled on public transport without masks. However, as we contemplate heading back to the office in the near future, businesses need to translate these learnings into workplace design and move indoor air quality to the top of the agenda. (more…)

March 8, 2021

The new dimensions of workplace wellbeing

by Beatriz Arantes • Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

A healthy, engaged and productive work environment starts with conversations about people’s needs. So whether you have always been on a co-located team or are a veteran of remote work, there are new circumstances and the old rulebook doesn’t quite help. The change has been sudden, in a sustained moment of uncertainty, and has disrupted employee routines and support structures. (more…)

March 1, 2021

Zoom fatigue is real and has four basic causes

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Wellbeing

The much discussed idea of Zoom fatigue turns out to be a real phenomenon according to new peer reviewed research from Stanford academics. The study published in the American Psychological Association’s journal Technology, Mind, and Behaviour found that meetings conducted via video calls leave participants feeling more exhausted and emotionally drained than those held face to face. The study found the four most important factors that make video calls so exhausting; the constant need for eye contact, the ability to see one’s own face constantly during meetings, the need to sit still for long periods and difficulties in interpreting or communicating via body language. (more…)

February 26, 2021

The link between wellbeing and green design is driving material innovation

by Craig Stuart • Comment, Environment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

One of the most interesting developments in the way we talk about the design of buildings in recent years is how the issue of wellbeing has found an overlap with environmental concerns. We know instinctively that these are natural partners. What is good for the environment almost always has a direct beneficial effect on people’s physical and mental health, as well as their productivity. (more…)

November 24, 2020

Covid-19 will transform the way technology is used in offices

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology

A new paper from the British Council for Offices outlines how technology is being used in offices to combat Covid-19. While offices may be shut in the UK until 2nd December at the earliest, the paper outlines how the sector is adapting and embracing a range of new technology to ensure that offices can comply with hygiene and social distancing measures. (more…)

November 5, 2020

Leadership in a new age of virtuality

by Andrew Mawson • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Technology, Workplace design

We are living through a fundamental transformation in the way we work. The pandemic has forced organisations to go virtual. New government guidelines, including a tiered alert system, suggest that this will be the norm for the foreseeable future. But step back from the noise and it is easy to see how the current crisis is simply accelerating the inevitable. A confluence of forces, including advancements in technology and infrastructure, increasing globalisation, shifting demographics and COVID-19, has enabled greater connectivity and mobility, making obvious to organisations, their leadership and individuals the wisdom of adopting flexible work models. (more…)

October 28, 2020

British Sugar HQ named best corporate office in England’s central region

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace design

CPMG Architects is celebrating success after its designs for the British Sugar head office scooped the title of Corporate Office of the Year at the British Council for Offices (BCO) Midlands and Central England Awards last week. (more…)

October 14, 2020

The world may be going mad, but we don`t have to

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Working culture

If you want to determine the nature of anything, entrust it to time: when the sea is stormy, you can see nothing clearly. Seneca’s advice from nearly 2,000 years ago still rings true. (more…)

October 6, 2020

Majority of office workers plan to split their week between the office and home

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

New independent polling commissioned by the British Council for Offices (BCO), suggests that, once Government measures allow, Britain is set to move to a ‘mixed’ working style, with time in the office balanced with time at home. The survey, which polled over 2,000 office workers nationwide, took place prior to new Government measures and found an appetite to get back to the office. (more…)