May 23, 2019

Boosting low carbon building renovation across Europe

Today, the World Green Building Council’s European network, in collaboration with eight cities and partners announced the launch of Build Upon, the next phase of what it claims is the world’s largest collaborative project on building renovation. With cities across the world declaring climate emergencies and climate action high up on the agenda for the European elections, this European Union (EU) funded project will empower cities across Europe to join forces with national governments and industry to decarbonise their existing building stock by 2050 and so increase the proportion of low carbon building across Europe. More →

May 22, 2019

Young people increasingly sceptical about work and institutions

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace

Younger people across the world are increasingly disillusioned with traditional institutions, sceptical of business’ motives and pessimistic about economic and social progress, according to the 2019 Deloitte Millennial Survey. The survey claims that despite global economic growth, expansion and opportunity, younger generations are wary about the world and their place in it. But they remain hopeful and lean on their values as both consumers and employees. More →

May 21, 2019

Calls for urgent reform of skills policy development and implementation

by George Eltringham • Legal news, News

City & Guilds Group is calling on Government to urgently rethink how skills and education policy in the UK is designed and delivered, in light of a new report launched by the Group today. Sense and Instability 2019 finds that important lessons from the implementation of skills policy over several decades have not been learned, meaning badly-needed training and education programmes are not fit for purpose or delivering the right results for people, businesses and the economy.
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May 10, 2019

Rural innovation policies need to reflect differences within communities

by George Eltringham • Environment, News

Policies aimed at encouraging rural innovation should take into account the differences between entrepreneurs and how they view where they live, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and De Montfort University have found that meanings attached to where someone lives are shaped by previous experiences, and this in turn influences their innovation strategies and entrepreneurial activity. More →

May 10, 2019

High skill women dominate surge in freelance work

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

A 334,000 (63 percent) rise in highly-skilled female freelancers has driven the UK’s freelance revolution over the last 10 years according to new research from IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. The increase takes the number of senior-level women freelancing in the UK to 863,000. The professions that saw the largest rises since 2008 were health, the arts and media, and functional directors within companies. Alongside the increase in senior-level women, the number of mothers freelancing increased by 80 per cent. More →

May 9, 2019

Property investors cool on issue of climate change

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, News, Property

According to a RICS global survey of Commercial and Construction market professionals, in the UK, 47 percent of respondents reported that climate change risks are not important or irrelevant for investors. In addition, while 25 percent reported that there is more interest in energy efficient buildings than two years ago, 37 percent noted that investment into energy efficient buildings was limited to niche investors. The study concludes that it still appears that other considerations take precedence in the UK for investors, and the UK is lagging behind China and Hong Kong in this area, where 41 percent reported that energy efficient buildings are increasingly seen as an attractive form of investment. The issue of responsible investment, will be being discussed on the 13 and 14 May at the RICS World Built Environment Forum, Summit in New York. More →

May 8, 2019

The dark side of wearables and wellbeing

by Freddie Steele • Features, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

While the use of wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are worn or inserted as implants, in smart building applications will give people completely new ways of interacting with their surroundings, their potential could be tempered by an increased risk to privacy due to the type and quantity of data being collected. The good news is that, combined with automated building controls, occupants will be able to control and automate their own ‘personal’ environment as well as improve their wellbeing. More →

May 7, 2019

Hiring the best people is bad for creativity

by Scott E Page • Comment, Workplace

While in graduate school in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I took a logic course from David Griffeath. The class was fun. Griffeath brought a playfulness and openness to problems related to creativity and other issues. Much to my delight, about a decade later, I ran into him at a conference on traffic models. During a presentation on computational models of traffic jams, his hand went up. I wondered what Griffeath – a mathematical logician – would have to say about traffic jams. He did not disappoint. Without even a hint of excitement in his voice, he said: ‘If you are modelling a traffic jam, you should just keep track of the non-cars.’

May 7, 2019

Retention of EU workers no more difficult for many UK employers

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

More than half of UK companies say the referendum result hasn’t affected their ability to retain EU staff so far, according to research from REED. Despite this positive news, the poll of nearly 500 UK senior professionals for its research revealed that a third singled out getting access to EU workers as the biggest issue for their organisation around Brexit. However, there is also strong support for getting access to the EU market (44 per cent) with 70 per cent of those asked wanting a close relationship with the EU when and if the UK leaves the EU. More →

May 2, 2019

UK should phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, claims government report

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, News

The UK can end its contribution to global warming within 30 years by setting an ambitious new target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has said in a report today. But the habits of people and organisations will have to change dramatically. Ten years after the Climate Change Act became law, now is the right moment to set a more ambitious goal. Achieving a ‘net-zero’ target by the middle of the century is in line with the UK’s commitment under the Paris Agreement; the pact which the UK and the rest of the world signed in 2015 to curb dramatically the polluting gases that cause climate change. More →

May 1, 2019

The impact of technology, cyber-risk and the future of corporate real estate ⁰

by Kate Langan • Features, Property, Technology, Work&Place, Workplace design

It’s no surprise to say that technology is having a significant impact on the workplace and the use of corporate real estate. The fast pace of change has seen technology impact all aspects of business, government and culture, as well as personal life, with a constant flow of new innovations and solutions helping us to do things more quickly and efficiently. Equally, technology also provides a challenge to business and, more specifically, corporate operations, with a whole array of disruptive technologies.

May 1, 2019

“First ever” dedicated UK India tech hub opens at Royal Albert Dock London

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Technology

A newly delivered building at Royal Albert Dock (RAD) in London has been launched as the UK India Tech Hub to provide a designated space for technology firms from India and the UK. It is claimed to be the first venture capital fund that has partnered with a business district to create a tech hub anywhere the world. Under the partnership agreement, developer ABP London and investors Pontaq will provide technology firms with work space while Pontaq’s tech fund will be invested in tech start-ups to assist them to develop and expand. India High Commissioner, Ruchi Ghanashyam, and Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade, Graham Stuart MP, along with Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz, witnessed the signing of an agreement between Royal Albert Dock developer ABP London and the venture capital firm Pontaq. More →