Search Results for: media

Central London occupiers prepared to pay more for upper floors and terrace 0

by • Facilities management, News, Property

London occupiers prepared to pay to access upper floors or terraceThere is a growing trend for London occupiers prepared to pay more for upper floors, particularly with access to a terrace, as according to the latest research by Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), unprecedented rental rates are being paid for tower floors and roof gardens. Central London office leasing activity overall, was 2.4 million sq ft for the first quarter of 2015, which equals the same period in 2014, which marked the highest first quarter volumes since 2007. Momentum in the City of London office market has also continued, with a total of 1.8 million sq ft let, up 34 percent for the same time last year. The West End recorded a relatively quiet quarter, with leasing volumes down to just over 600,000 sq ft – the lowest level since mid-2013. However, this is against a backdrop of falling vacancy rates, leading to the increasing migration of commercial occupiers out of the West End.

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Why Facebook and other tech giants still apply mainstream office design ideas 0

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

Facebook-560x480This week Facebook moved into its new offices in Menlo Park, California. As you might expect they are somewhat out of the ordinary. Designed by Frank Gehry, they are bright, open and loaded with quirky and colourful design ideas. Yet upon closer inspection their underlying office design principles are often resolutely mainstream, not least the inclusion of what is billed as the world’s largest open plan office. In fact this has the personal backing of the CEO himself and has long been the core element in the brief because Facebook sees the idea of openness as being an essential part of its mission and business model. Mark Zuckerberg announced the opening of the building on his own Facebook page (where else?). In his official statement, he explains the thinking behind the design in an interesting way and it bears reproducing.

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Managing the Millennials should be no different to the other generations

by • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace

Mult-generational workersThere is much debate about the way the group known as Millennials should be treated. Millennials, those born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, are viewed as different to my peers, Generation X (those born in the 60s and 70s), and certainly vastly different in outlook to the post-war Baby Boomers and the pre-war Veterans. A stereotypical view is that these newbies are highly ambitious and want everything ‘now’, for example, regular pay rises and instant promotion without putting in the work. Yet I believe that Millennials should not be viewed as a distinct group and what we are in fact seeing are long-term changes as a result of trends in society and the workplace. So while employers may recognise the particular needs of Millennials it is these long-term changes they should really be addressing.

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New masterplan submitted for £5bn East London development

by • Cities, News, Property, Technology

East London masterplanDevelopers have submitted a revised masterplan for the £5 billion Greenwich Peninsula mixed use development in East London. The new plans not only increase the number of homes on site but also include a greater focus on digital arts and media studios as well as more high rise buildings in keeping with London’s current predilection for tall buildings and emphasising the shift in London’s centre of gravity eastwards. The original plan, created by Farrell & Partners and dating back to 2004 are described as outdated by developers Knight Dragon, who have submitted the new mixed use plan for around 15,000 dwellings, 59,000 sq.m. of hotel, retail and recreational space and 60,000 sq.m. of office space as well as a design district, space for healthcare buildings, educational facilities, transport hubs, visitor attractions, parking, cycling paths, community facilities and parks.

London workers take longer lunch breaks than staff in other regions

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

lunch breaksLondon’s workers take 25 percent longer for lunch break than their contemporaries elsewhere in the UK, according to Avanta’s London Worker Index. The report, based on a survey of 1,500 people in the capital, also found that some 24 percent of male workers report using their lunch break to take a nap, compared to just 14 percent of their female colleagues. In addition to napping, the survey found that 54 percent of London workers use their lunch break to go shopping, whilst a similar number (52 percent) run errands. More than a quarter (27 percent) visit the gym and over a third (28 percent) meet up with friends. However, not every Londoner is quite so lucky. Almost a quarter (23 percent) of Londoners skip lunch three or more times per week, and one in ten don’t take lunch breaks at all.

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Facebook moves into new California campus headquarters

by • Case studies, News, Technology, Workplace design

facebook1Facebook has moved into its much discussed new headquarters building and campus in Menlo Park, California. As is the way these days, the relocation to the Frank Gehry designed HQ was announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on his own Facebook page and heralded by a number of images shared on social media by staff. Zuckerberg also shared an aerial view of the 22 acre location included its landscaped roof and has promised that more images and video will emerge ‘once we’re fully unpacked’. Controversially – maybe – the building features what is claimed to be the world’s largest open plan office space which will be home to many of the new building’s 2,800 inhabitants. In this regard, the design is resolutely mainstream as are the array of breakout spaces and cafes used to supplement the open plan and give people the chance to take some time away.

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Digital sector set to become ‘pivotal’ in Middle East over next five years

by • Cities, Facilities management, News, Technology

Dubai Perfect CityDeloitte has launched a new report into the Technology, Media and Telecommunications sector in the Middle East. Deloitte predicts that 2015 will be ‘pivotal’ for Digital Islamic Services as they start to take off across the Middle East region. The report estimates that within the next three to four years the region’s digital economy will nearly double in size from around US$15 billion currently to around $30 billion by 2018. The predictions are based on hundreds of discussions with industry executives, analysts and commentators, along with tens of thousands of individual interviews. The report also predicts that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will make significant open data advancements in 2015, and within the next three to five years, break into the top half of countries ranked the most ‘open’ in the world.

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Wellbeing continues to improve despite static pay levels, claims ONS

by • Environment, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

WellbeingThe overall wellbeing of the UK population continues to improve despite ongoing concerns about pay levels and job security, according to a new report published today by the Office for National Statistics. The latest analysis includes an assessment of changes in national wellbeing for the first time and finds that year on year 33 percent of indicators had improved, 42 percent showed no overall change, 21 percent were not assessed and 5 percent deteriorated. The proportion of people in the UK giving the highest ratings for each aspect of personal wellbeing measured by the report increased significantly in the financial year ending 2014. The report defines wellbeing as a measure of “how we are doing as individuals, as communities and as a nation, and how sustainable this is for the future” based on 41 metrics.

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Increasing adoption of serviced offices within the corporate sector

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News

Serviced office for Square Enix by Instant officeServiced offices have been viewed as the preserve of start-up businesses, rather than as a solution to the workspace needs of companies. However, with the growth in popularity of cluster and co-working spaces, that is changing. New research, admittedly by a global broker of serviced office space, Instant Offices, indicates the increasing acceptance of serviced office solutions within the corporate sector, ranging from SMEs through to FTSE 100 / Fortune 500 companies. Alongside that, the cost of desk space in serviced offices has grown by double figures across the UK in the past year, rising by 3.6 percent, in addition to an 11.4 percent increase in desk rates. Growth in the number of such spaces across Central London was as high as 17 percent in Southbank and 11 percent in the West End during 2014.

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Multi generational workplace could boost economy by £25 billion

by • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

mult generational workplaceThe Government has published a new report which describes the challenges faced by the UK’s over 50s in the workplace and sets out ways in which more of them can stay or move into work. The report is the culmination of eight months’ work by a team led by the Government’s ‘ageism tsar’ Ros Altmann and highlights why action is needed based primarily on the twin issues of demographic change and increasing life expectancy. The report, Retain, Retrain, Recruit, recommends action that would help older workers thrive and ensure individuals, industry and the economy can reap the financial and social benefits of a multi generational workplace. The report outlines how businesses could recruit more older workers, retrain existing staff and provide greater flexibility to retain them as well as setting out measures that should be taken to reflect the multi generational workforce in the media and policy making.

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Edinburgh and Manchester top UK’s regional commercial property markets

by • Company news, News, Property

With 2015 set to be a ‘stellar year’ for regional city growth, commercial property adviser GVA has compiled key statistics on Grade A office markets for the top nine UK cities. Manchester and Edinburgh topped the charts in terms of Grade A take-up in 2014, on 401,406 sq ft and 333,351 sq ft respectively, while Newcastle was at the bottom on 64,000 sq ft, just behind Liverpool on 67,199 sq ft. Edinburgh and Glasgow led the way in terms of immediately available space and Edinburgh also saw the largest leasing transaction in 2014 with the 108,564sqft deal signed by Standard Life Investment. Manchester (614,000) and Leeds (487,650 sq ft) top the heap in terms of Grade A space under construction. Meanwhile Manchester and Birmingham top the prime rent pile at £32 and £30 per sq ft for prime Grade A space respectively.

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BREEAM consults on new scheme for refurbishment and fit-out projects

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

Newham CC new officesA draft of the part of the BREEAM sustainability assessment schemes which deals with refurbishment and fit-Out, has been published for consultation. Launched this week at MIPIM, the consultation will close on 10 April 2015. The draft document can be downloaded from the BREEAM website here. All interested parties, buildings owners and investors, designers, construction industry professionals, BREEAM assessors and other stakeholders are invited to send their comments to breeam@bre.co.uk with the subject: “Comments on draft BREEAM International RFO 2015”. The draft publication of of the scheme comes four months after the launch of the UK Refurbishment and Fit-Out 2014 scheme. BRE claims that this has been adapted for an international market to take account of a range of local and regional standards, conditions and climates.

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