April 18, 2024

Majority of young professionals feel happy about embracing AI in their lives

More than half of young professionals feel comfortable or very confident about the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in various aspects of daily life, while only 15 percent reported feeling unsettled or scared about the prospect, according to new research from CEMS, the Global Alliance in Management Education. Half (50 percent) also stated that social media impacts their life positively, while only just over a quarter (27 percent) feel that social media has a negative impact on their lives. Overall, 70 percent of graduates said that they feel optimistic about the future. (more…)

April 17, 2024

CIFF Guangzhou 2024 proves a record-breaker and a major boost to international furniture trade

by Freddie Steele • Company news

An extraordinary edition of CIFF Guangzhou has just concluded, recording the highest number of exhibitors and visitors ever. This success rewarded the strategy of CIFF, an ever-evolving exhibition event with a key role in the development of the global furniture industry, promoting design and innovation, boosting consumption, and fostering international furniture trade. A total area measuring 850,000 square metres; 4,700 exhibitors, 11.8% more than the all-time pre-pandemic peak in 2019; 363,449 trade visitors, 22.06% more than in 2019, including 51,205 international visitors from 178 countries, an increase of as much as +43.11% compared to 2019. (more…)

April 16, 2024

A day of learning for workplace designers

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Environment

The Sustainable Design Forum (SD Forum) – a one day interactive event designed specifically for workplace designers and specifiers – is returning to the Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell, London on Thursday 25th April 2024. Incorporating an innovative format of presentations, panel discussions, interactive workshops, a materials lab and the SD awards ceremony, the SD Forum offers the opportunity for learning and collaboration between designers, manufacturers, suppliers, and not-for-profit organisations. (more…)

April 15, 2024

West End gateway for Leeds takes shape with green light for McLaren’s mixed use neighbourhood

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Property

Leeds City Council has McLaren’s mixed use Wellington Square development of build-to-rent homes and commercial space in Leeds’ West End. The new neighbourhood, designed by Howells Architects, will transform a 2.47 acre site into a lively gateway to Leeds city centre with a landmark tower, high-quality new homes and innovative workspace in the city’s professional core and Innovation Arc, which establishes the area as a hub for research and innovation. (more…)

April 15, 2024

Half of bosses now live in fear that AI could steal their jobs

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

Hundreds of UK chief executives believe that artificial intelligence (AI) could steal their job, underlining widespread fears over the technology’s potential to shake up traditional working models. Nearly half (43 percent) of CEOs said they felt that their job could be at risk due to the technology, according to a new poll from AND Digital. The survey has been published in The CEO Digital Divide: are you accelerating enterprise value or slowing it down [registration], which surveyed 600 global CEOs and was conducted by independent research company Censuswide. (more…)

April 10, 2024

MIPIM has changed, and mostly for the better

by Anna King • Environment, Features, Property

With an estimated 27,000 delegates from 90 countries, MIPIM is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to opportunities to network and learn as delegates, with organisations using the week to deliver news, insights and thinking. The theme for MIPIM this year was The Global Urban Community; and it really did feel more international than previous years, the majority of attendees are still from France, Germany and the UK, but there were significant delegations from the United States, Canada, Oman, Egypt and Hong Kong, more from Asia generally and a show stopper from Saudi Arabia, more of which later. (more…)

April 9, 2024

Microsoft announces new London AI research hub

by Jayne Smith • AI, News, Property, Technology

Microsoft AI is opening a new AI hub in Central London. The firm claims that the new Paddington based centre, dubbed Microsoft AI London will ‘drive pioneering work to advance state-of-the-art language models and their supporting infrastructure, and to create world-class tooling for foundation models’, collaborating closely with AI teams across Microsoft and with its partners, including OpenAI. (more…)

April 7, 2024

The scale of the problem for the workplace

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design

There is a typically telling and intelligent Pixar moment in the film A Bug’s Life in which an already well-lubricated mosquito goes up to a bar and orders a ‘Bloody Mary, O Positive’. The barman plonks a droplet of blood down on the bar. The mosquito sinks his proboscis into it, sucks it down in one go and promptly falls over. The mosquito doesn’t need a glass because that is for animals who have a problem with gravity. For insects, the major force in their lives isn’t gravity, but surface tension. (more…)

April 5, 2024

Microsoft is world’s most valuable B2B brand, NVIDIA the fastest growing

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

Microsoft remains the world’s most valuable B2B brand, achieving a substantial 60 percent increase in B2B brand value to USD220.4 billion, according to the latest report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. The B2B brand value of Microsoft accounts for the majority of Microsoft’s total brand value of USD340.4 billion, which includes both B2B and B2C components. (more…)

April 4, 2024

When it comes to the carbon conundrum, real change will come from collaboration

by Roger Olsen • Comment, Environment, Facilities management, Property, Wellbeing

Last week we launched our first white paper: Carbon Conundrum to Carbon Control and we were so delighted to be joined by a panel of experts across development, , engineering, design and consultancy. Through their discussion and with excellent engagement from our audience of developers, designers, contractors, agents, engineers and end users, there were a number of very pertinent industry topics raised. The mood was upbeat and collaborative, but the emphasis was certainly on action and innovation, with a commitment to collective responsibility, education and being bolder. (more…)

April 3, 2024

London Mayor sets out ambitious plans for Capital’s growth and reinvention

by Marvin Gort • Cities, News, Property

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is today launching an ambitious plan aimed at creating 150,000 high-quality, well-paid jobs by 2028. This initiative will be unveiled alongside the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves. Reeves will say that a Labour administration intends to reset the relationship between the national government and London, while Khan thinks what is good for London is good for the UK. (more…)

March 25, 2024

When you empower your colleagues, you’re delivering excellence for them and your clients

by Jennifer Davidson • Business, Comment, Wellbeing

The level of engagement within a company’s workforce significantly impacts clients satisfaction and its bottom line. Recent research by Gallup shows that teams with high levels of engagement enjoy a 10 percent uplift in client loyalty and a 23 percent increase in profitability compared to low-engagement teams. Empowering colleagues with learning and development programmes can dramatically improve their engagement with a business. Supporting them in this way is crucial if you want them to deliver excellence. When people are encouraged to own their careers, they care more about the outcomes of their work, which translates into exceptional productivity and happy clients. (more…)