January 22, 2021
Search Results for: cities
December 8, 2020
Plans for 2 million sq. ft of offices in South East England
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Property
The Commercial Park Group, a partnership between Sir Robert McAlpine and the John Baker Group, has announced it will invest £200 million to kick-start developments of two million sq ft of new offices across locations in the south east of England. (more…)
November 26, 2020
Leading universities lag behind on sustainability teaching, research claims
by Jayne Smith • Environment, News
Research conducted by EIT InnoEnergy, sustainable energy accelerator, claims that the world’s top ten universities including the University of Cambridge and Harvard University offer, on average, 2.8 courses focusing on sustainability and energy. This is compared to a global average of 5.6, as the accelerator calls for a more robust and comprehensive decarbonisation outlook by all major education players. (more…)
November 19, 2020
Covid-19 is levelling the playing field for disabled workers
by Ruby Gullon • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing
As many of us cope with yet another lockdown, optimism is easy to misplace but, for disabled workers, this could result in monumental change for future employment. On the month commencing the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act and the run-up to International Day of Disabled Persons, could this be the final push for change? As we swing in and out of remote-working, whether you love it or loathe it, one thing is abundantly clear – it can be done. Something that the 2 billion people currently living with disabilities have always known. Life can be accessible anywhere if you put your mind to it. (more…)
November 18, 2020
The new era of elemental change for the workplace
by Neil Franklin • News
In the latest issue of IN Magazine, Chris Kane talks about his new book Where is My Office? and how this is possibly the best time to publish a book about workplace transformation, in spite of the upheavals of the last year. Another author and world-famous workplace expert to publish on a related theme is Neil Usher. His new book, Elemental Change, is also timely as many organisations look to a post-pandemic era in which they must challenge many of their previous assumptions about their structure and how, where and when they work. (more…)
November 16, 2020
Built environment sector must think in radical ways and act quickly
by Neil Franklin • Cities, Environment, News
The construction sector, the real estate industry and city planners must give high priority to the same goal – to drastically reduce their climate impacts. Powerful, combined efforts across all of the built environment sectors are absolutely crucial for the potential to achieve the UN’s sustainability goals. And what’s more – everything has to happen very quickly. These are the cornerstones to a roadmap presented at the recent Beyond 2020 World Conference. (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…)
November 4, 2020
New Framework to drive a healthier and more equitable built environment
by Jayne Smith • Environment, News, Workplace design
After a multi-year global consultation, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) launches the Health & Wellbeing Framework — a comprehensive educational tool for a healthy and equitable built environment. With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the link between the built environment and human health into focus, the Framework’s six principles span indoor air quality, human rights in the supply chain, climate change resilience and more. (more…)
November 3, 2020
Government urged to give regions greater power over skills and employment
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working culture, Working lives
The Government must give UK regional economies greater autonomy over skills and employment to develop grassroot recovery strategies – or risk levelling down the chances of millions, according to a new report published by City & Guilds Group. (more…)
October 28, 2020
COVID-19 driving top talent migration to rural parts of UK
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working lives
Over half (52 percent) of UK workers think we will see a “reverse brain drain” of talent migration away from big cities like London and Manchester towards regional areas as a result of COVID-19, according to latest research from the Adecco Group UK and Ireland. (more…)
October 26, 2020
Office design should embrace the new digital workplace
by John Comacchio • Comment, Workplace design
It almost goes without saying that how we work and interact with each other has changed dramatically over the past few months. We have come to rely on technology to replace in-person interactions, be it for a meeting, birthday party, or dinner with friends. Thankfully, most people are able to stay digitally connected through the “three screens of our lives”—a mobile device, a tablet, and a desktop or laptop computer. This would not have been possible in the very recent past and it has profound implications for office design. (more…)
January 13, 2021
Office design will respond to the events of the past year as it always has – by getting better
by Oliver Ronald • Comment, Workplace design