Great product designs reflect the changing workplace

by Mark Eltringham • Furniture, Workplace design

If art holds a mirror up to nature, shouldn’t good workplace design hold a mirror up to the way we work? Well yes, of course. No points for answering no. By definition, the things with which we surround ourselves in the workplace should tell us something that is essentially true about the way we see ourselves and what we do. If it doesn’t, it’s not good design. So when we see award winning products, it should be possible to infer from them what is happening and what is changing in the workplace. (more…)

January 16, 2013

Workplace transformation strategies are an essential element of CSR

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Knowledge, News, Workplace, Workplace design

CNGLogo

Adopting 21st-century workplace practices that meet the needs of employers and employees is an important form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), according to a new corporate real estate (CRE) industry advocacy statement by CoreNet Global. The report finds the nature of work is “changing dramatically, transcending the traditional definitions of productivity to include the concepts of enabling work, employee engagement, employee satisfaction and employee wellness, framed around an emerging ‘work-life support’ business model.” (more…)

January 7, 2013

Contractors to be appointed for defence estates projects

by Mark Eltringham • News, Public Sector

Some of the UK’s biggest contractors have been invited by the Ministry of Defence to bid for a range of construction projects across its estate as part of the new National Capital Works Framework. The companies will be chosen by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to deliver the design and build of construction projects up to a value of £50m. The framework forms part of the Next Generation Estate Contracts programme which was announced in December. (more…)