Search Results for: environment

Better Buildings challenge for sustainable innovation

by • Architecture, Environment, News, Property, Technology, Workplace design

BPP

A competition to find green solutions that help to improve the performance of commercial buildings has been launched by the Institute for Sustainability, in partnership with the Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community (Climate-KIC) and the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) – a collaboration of leading London commercial property owners and investors. Because energy efficiency improvement works have focused primarily on mechanical and electrical control upgrades and plant replacement, the competition focuses on innovations which could help improve the environmental performance of the building envelope. (more…)

Sodexo Workplace Trends report covers familiar ground

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Technology, Workplace

sodexo workplace trends editThe latest annual Workplace Trends Report from workplace services provider Sodexo claims to reveal the crucial role the built environment has in organisational performance. The report emphasises the growing strategic role of facilities management and the importance of sustainability as an element of corporate culture as well as a trend toward designing offices to attract and retain top talent by emphasising productivity and quality of life. The report also identifies the importance of social media in attracting prospective employees instead of traditional e-mail campaigns and other media.

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Economic boost for UK builders with Green Deal launch

by • Environment, News, Property

energy efficiency
The Green Deal launches today to help improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s built environment by enabling householders and businesses to secure the up-front capital to make energy efficiency improvements to their buildings. Refurbishing existing buildings to new standards and turning them into good green assets has recently been identified as one of the best bets for the property sector in the year ahead and today UK-Green Building Council’s Paul King said the launch of the energy efficiency scheme could help create jobs and stimulate economic activity.

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A train that symbolises the clash of old and new ways of work

by • Comment, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

Today we’ll all be hearing a lot more about the plans for HS2, the Government’s flagship construction project and all-round Keynesian boot in the pants for the UK economy. Most of what will pass for debate will involve some light class warfare about the route through Tory constituencies, seasoned with a dash of NIMBYism, some chest beating from Labour who started the whole thing but can’t be seen to support it fully and various other bits of pointless to-ing and fro-ing. But what is most remarkable about the scheme as far as Insight is concerned, is how its business case completely and deliberately ignores the way we work. (more…)

Mixed response to Government office conversion plans

by • Architecture, News, Property, Public Sector

As predicted earlier this week, the government has confirmed new measures that will allow office space to be converted into homes without the need for planning permission. Further reforms are also intended to help boost rural communities and create jobs by allowing agricultural buildings to be converted for other business use, such as shops, offices, restaurants or leisure facilities without the need for planning permission. But the scheme has met with a decidedly mixed response from organisations as diverse as the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and local authority chiefs.  (more…)

Full extent of computer posture risks revealed

by • Knowledge, Lighting, News, Technology

Businessman and Computer

Employee health is being put at risk in the workplace, a new report has revealed, with a majority of those polled in a recent survey saying they would score their office 55% in terms of smart computer use. According to the survey of 2,000 employees by energy and performance expert energiseYou, just over a quarter (30%) believe that their working environment is correctly designed for computer users, with for instance comfortable lighting levels. 37% complained of suffering from tension headaches or migraines and 66% experienced tension or feeling pain in their neck, back and shoulders. (more…)

Designing for productivity means creating space for us to be alone

by • Facilities management, Furniture, Knowledge, Workplace design

WilkhahnOn the face of it, the case for working in open plan offices is clear cut. Not only are they  more conducive to collaborative work and less bound by ideas of that great no-no that we used to call ‘status’, the economic case is seemingly open and shut. Open plan workstations not only take up around half the space of cellular offices, the fit-out costs are typically 25 per cent lower. And yet there are clear signs of a backlash, at least to the idea of them fostering collaborative work.

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Global trust demands business acts as force for good

by • Knowledge, News, Workplace

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Government trails business, media, and non-governmental organisations as the least trusted institution worldwide. The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals trust in government fell a record nine points to 43% globally, and in 17 of the 25 countries surveyed, government is now trusted by less than half. “Business is now better placed than government to lead the way out of the trust crisis,” said Richard Edelman, President and CEO, Edelman. “But the balance must change so that business is seen both as a force for good and an engine for profit.”

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Europe’s commercial property investors opt for safe cities

by • News, Property

German cities dominate the investment prospects for Europe’s commercial real estate sector as investors favour safe havens according to a new report – Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2013. Munich tops the league table followed closely by Berlin in second place and Hamburg in fifth position, with investors taking comfort from each of the cities’ strong local micro-economic climate and resilient property market conditions. London, which is seen by many as Europe’s safest investment, is the largest riser in this year’s report taking third position.  (more…)

Green retro fitting a ‘best bet’ for 2013

by • Environment, News, Property

EP photo 1

Refurbishing existing buildings to new standards and turning them into good green assets has been identified as one of the best bets for the property sector in the year ahead, according to new research from the Urban Land Institute and PwC. The survey of industry leaders across Europe found the move to ‘reactivate assets’ – refurbish good properties with green credentials – is taking hold. Sustainable properties are increasingly commanding higher rents and values, as governments move to force companies to increase building’s energy efficiency and reduce their environmental footprint.

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Hidden depression amidst Blue Monday hype

by • News, Workplace

DepressionToday is ‘Blue Monday’, allegedly the most depressing day of the year. The case against the beginning of the third working week in January includes an inability to keep up New Year resolutions, lack of daylight, and giving us something to gripe about. However it also presents an opportunity to discuss the hidden problem of depression amongst the workforce. One in four will have some kind of mental health problem this year which is why Business Disability Forum has today announced a new guide for line managers on how to manage mental health at work.

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Business spending to grow for two years, forecast Ernst & Young

by • News, Property

Business spending will grow tentatively over the next two years, according to a new report from the ITEM Club, an economic research group established by Ernst & Young. It predicts that overall spending by businesses will grow by just over three per cent this year and a further 8.1 per cent in 2014. This is good news following a number of recent economic forecasts but means that spending will remains some way short of its pre-downturn peak. The ITEM Club also called on the UK Government to do more to stimulate growth. (more…)

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