April 9, 2024
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 3, 2024
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 14, 2024
Credit ratings agency Moody’s is relocating its London headquarters from offices in Canary Wharf to a new location in the City of London. This move adds to the trend of financial firms opting to leave the Docklands district. The company will shift to offices at 10 Gresham Street in 2026, coinciding with the expiration of its lease at One Canada Square, the iconic pyramid-topped skyscraper in the heart of the east London estate. A spokesperson for Moody’s confirmed the selection of the new location, emphasizing that the move is subject to closing. More →
February 7, 2024
The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has published a new report called Retrofit vs Rebuild? which asks how decisions are made to either retrofit or rebuild properties and the carbon implications for both. In London, buildings account for an estimated 68 per cent of the city’s carbon emissions. These emissions arise from the construction, operation, and demolition of buildings. The report claims that, if London is to meet the Mayor’s 2030 net zero target, there is an urgent need to reduce emissions from buildings and to retrofit both housing and commercial stock. More →
December 12, 2023
The UK Government is bringing forward its target to relocate 22,000 civil service roles out of London. It comes as new figures today show that 16,061 roles have already been moved out of London, exceeding the commitment to relocate 15,000 roles by 2025 as part of the Places for Growth programme. Under the newly announced plans, Aberdeen, Darlington and Greater Manchester are to host second headquarters for major departments. Darlington is already the Treasury’s second headquarters.
November 6, 2023
As part of their ongoing commitment to doubling their UK revenue, Norwegian office furniture giant Flokk have further strengthened their presence in Clerkenwell, London with the expansion of their showroom. Previously the sole home of Flokk brand Connection, 31 Great Sutton Street has been expanded with the addition of a new floor to support the integration of all Flokk brands: HÅG, Profim, RH, OFFECCT and Giroflex. The reimagined space, which now spans across three floors, totalling 6,000sqft, has been curated as an experiential design centre for colleagues and guests to provide a unique space to showcase a series of work settings with products across the whole Flokk portfolio ‘House of Brands.’ More →
November 3, 2023
Following on from successful shows in both the UK and the Netherlands this year, Workspace Design Show is pleased to announce the first names to be added to the speaker programme for its London 2024 show. Held from 27-28 February 2024 at the Business Design Centre, Islington, the event will feature an impressive mix of senior professionals from architects and designers to developers and end users, who will come together to discuss the most pressing issues facing the workplace design community now and into the future. More →
October 30, 2023
BNP Paribas Real Estate has predicted that super prime office rents in London’s West End could hit £300 per sq ft by December 2024, as it says demand continues to outstrip the constrained supply of space. The prediction has been made on the basis of evidence shared by an expert at the firm. BNP Paribas Real Estate West End office agent Simon Knights claims that lettings could see rents for super prime office stock reach highs of “up to £300 per square foot by December 2024” as demand continues to outstrip constrained supply. More →
October 16, 2023
This year’s London Real Estate Forum (LREF), held from 27-28 September at the Barbican, had a general air of optimism but tempered with the uncertainty of a general election in the next twelve months and elements of political and economic uncertainty globally. The day began with a state of the market discussion chaired by dRMM’s Sadie Morgan, with challenges facing the industry identified as the current valuation of the office market, the rate of housebuilding and the government’s lack of investment in infrastructure – the event coinciding with the furore over the cancelling of the northern part of HS2. More →
September 12, 2023
Shanghai Design Week has announced details of its ‘Design to Wonderland’ event, being staged in London for the first time later this month. The event organisers hope that the inaugural event will serve as a global platform to spotlight Chinese innovation across a number of creative sectors, including architecture, art, fashion, and beauty. Taking place from 16th – 29th September, China Exchange Centre will host the event, a collaboration between Shanghai Design Week and the London Design Festival. As well as being a celebration of Chinese creativity, D2W is planned to serve as ‘a bridge’ between the design industries of China and the UK. London Design Festival is also hosting an event in collaboration with Insight, details of which can be found here. More →
August 30, 2023
BW: Workplace Experts has been appointed by Queen Mary University of London as refurbishment contractor for the 15,000 sq m refurbishment of the Grade II listed Queens’ Building, to create a new contemporary, social heart for Queen Mary’s Mile End campus. More →
January 22, 2024
London’s office market is reshaping the city and the way people experience the workplace
by Sam Mardon • Comment, Property