September 5, 2013
Most of the world’s supertall buildings rely on a little boost to hit the heights
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats has produced a new report into the way the developers of the world’s supertall buildings are adding useless spikes, spires and towers on top of their edifices to increase their overall height. CTBUH describes this phenomenon as ‘Vanity Height’ but there are other equally applicable terms. The survey of the world’s supertall (300m+) buildings found that more than half of the 72 worldwide would fail to meet the necessary height criteria if they didn’t have that little something extra added. Unsurprisingly, many are in the UAE but New York is no slouch when it comes to adding a little extra in a bid to impress.
August 13, 2013
Worldwide space standards moving closer to UK norm, claims new report
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Flexible working, Knowledge, News, Property, Workplace design
Worldwide office space standards are now moving closer to the norm seen in the UK according to a new survey from CoreNet Global. According to the CoreNet survey of real estate managers, the average amount of space per office worker globally has dropped to 150 sq. ft (14 sq.m.) , from 225 sq. ft. (21 sq.m.). This is still well outside the standards from the British Council for Offices Specification Guide which reported a fall to 11.8 sq. m. in 2009 and which will be revised downwards even further with the publication of the new guide which has been promised soon. Even this figure might be seen as high and makes assumptions about the relevance of such space standards given the way some firms now work.
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