Search Results for: office

Office fit out costs rise as firms adapt to new ways of working

Office fit out costs rise as firms adapt to new ways of working

A renewed focus on office space comes at a price, with businesses facing rising office fit out and design costsAccording to a new report from JLL, the office sector is again taking ‘centre stage’ in commercial real estate as companies worldwide adapt hybrid work policies to encourage greater in-office attendance. However, this renewed focus on office spaces comes at a cost, with businesses facing rising expenses to design and fit out their work environments. According to JLL’s newly released Global Office Fit-Out Costs Guide 2025, 59 percent of organisations globally plan to increase investment in office space design and fit-outs over the next five years. The report, which analyses data from 68 cities across 40 countries, highlights significant cost variations, key cost drivers, and the growing demand for sustainable office spaces. More →

Traditional incentives don’t encourage people back to the office. Here’s what might

Traditional incentives don’t encourage people back to the office. Here’s what might

A new report from Colliers claims to highlight the major challenge businesses experience in attracting people back to the office when attendance remains stubbornly lowA new report from Colliers claims to highlight the major challenges businesses experience in attracting people back to the office when attendance remains stubbornly low. With average peak occupancy below 40 percent across Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and North America, and workplaces lacking ‘vibrancy’ 83 percent of the time, many organisations are struggling to foster collaboration and engagement. More →

Only Filipinos spend less time each week in an office than British workers

Only Filipinos spend less time each week in an office than British workers

British workers spend less time in the office than almost any other nation, with only  Filipinos averaging fewer days at their deskBritish workers spend less time in the office than almost any other nation, with only employees in the Philippines averaging fewer days at their desks, according to a new poll. The global survey conducted by property consultancy JLL suggests that UK workers are in the office for just two days a week on average, while their preference is for even fewer—just 1.5 days per week. The report claims that its findings highlight the ongoing reluctance among British employees to return to pre-pandemic office routines, despite increasing pressure from employers. By contrast, workers in Kuwait spend the most time in the office, averaging 4.2 days per week, followed closely by China at 4.1 days. Greece was the only country in the study where employee preferences aligned with employer expectations, with workers spending 3.5 days per week in the office. More →

Workspace Design Show Amsterdam 2025 returns to inspire the offices of the future

Workspace Design Show Amsterdam 2025 returns to inspire the offices of the future

The Workspace Design Show is set to make a return to Amsterdam this year, promising to bring together industry leaders, designers, and top brands to shape the future of workplace interiors. Following its successful debut in October 2023, the event will take place at the RAI Amsterdam on 5–6 November 2025, with organisers anticipating an even larger and more dynamic showcase. The 2025 edition is expected to attract over 6,000 visitors and feature more than 800 products alongside a series of high-profile discussions and presentations. The FRAME Awards will be a key highlight, celebrating excellence in workspace design, while three conferences will bring together major global occupiers including Booking.com, Amazon, Zoom, and Ubisoft. Design leaders from firms such as Gensler, UNStudio, HENN, CBRE, Colliers, and Arcadis will also contribute to discussions on the future of workplace strategy and culture. More →

Outdated offices are sabotaging ‘return to office’ policies

Outdated offices are sabotaging ‘return to office’ policies

The debate over whether to return to the office or sustain a remote team has become one of the most significant workplace discussions in recent yearsThe debate over whether to return to office work or sustain a remote team has become one of the most significant workplace discussions in recent years. Companies are struggling to balance remote and in-office work, yet strict return-to-office (RTO) mandates are failing to deliver the intended results. While many assume the COVID-19 pandemic was the advent of hybrid work models, in reality, many businesses had already begun adopting flexible work arrangements before the pandemic accelerated the shift to remote working. More →

Demand for high quality office space continues to grow worldwide, and so do its costs

Demand for high quality office space continues to grow worldwide, and so do its costs

Rents for prime office space across the globe rose by 0.3 percent and fit out costs by 0.2 percent in the final quarter of 2024, says SavillsRents for prime office space across the globe rose by 0.3 percent and fit out costs by 0.2 percent in the final quarter of 2024, says Savills, as demand for top quality office space continues to grow in many markets around the world. According to Savills in its latest quarterly Prime Office Costs report, in the fourth quarter of last year, average net effective costs rose slightly, by 0.1 percent, continuing a moderate upwards trend of 1.9 percent over 2024. London (West End), Hong Kong, and New York (Midtown) remain the top three locations in terms of costs of the 35 markets Savills examines. More →

Take up of flexible office space hits highest levels since 2019

Take up of flexible office space hits highest levels since 2019

Research from Savills and its specialist firm Workthere claims that take-up of flexible office space from operators across the UK reached just over 1.06 million sq ft in 2024, which is the highest level since 2019Research from Savills and its specialist firm Workthere claims that take-up of flexible office space from operators across the UK reached just over 1.06 million sq ft in 2024, which is the highest level since 2019 and 12 percent above the total reached in 2023. In line with this growth, Workthere suggests that transaction levels were also up 35 percent, despite a moderate drop in enquiries by 12 percent from a 2023 peak (based on a 2022 index).  There were also positive signs in the make up of demand with Workthere reporting a 7 percent increase in the number of businesses entering a new market and a 33 percent increase from businesses outgoing their current space. More →

CIFF Guangzhou creates a new ecosystem of sustainable office and commercial space

CIFF Guangzhou creates a new ecosystem of sustainable office and commercial space

After the remarkable success of the March 2024 edition, CIFF Guangzhou is preparing to unveil an even more innovative chapter in March 2025, welcoming global furniture industry leaders to the Canton Fair ComplexAfter the remarkable success of the March 2024 edition, CIFF Guangzhou is preparing to unveil an even more innovative chapter in March 2025, welcoming global furniture industry leaders to the Canton Fair Complex, with the Office and Commercial Space sector poised to redefine workplace environments for the future. The timing of the 55th CIFF Guangzhou 2025 aligns perfectly with the global office furniture market’s exceptional growth, projected to reach $66.1 billion in 2024 and expand to $99.3 billion by 2029, driven by rapid economic growth, urbanization, and increasing renovation projects worldwide. More →

We still display status in office design, but in new and subtle ways

We still display status in office design, but in new and subtle ways

There was a time, not so long ago, that one of the most important factors to consider when designing an office was the corporate hierarchy. The office was once the  embodiment of the corporate structure. In Joanna Eley and Alexi Marmot’s 1995 book Understanding Offices, quite a lot of space is dedicated to the idea of the ‘space pyramid’, which means simply that the higher up the organisation you were, the more space you were allocated and the better your furniture and surroundings. Even then, the idea of office design as a signifier of dominance was starting to wear thin, as the authors acknowledge. Ostentatious displays of status were already seen as somewhat gauche, but they were to be fatally undermined by the technological advances to come.

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Lack of space continues to  hold back a ‘return to office’

Lack of space continues to hold back a ‘return to office’

Workers are resisting the so-called return to office due to a lack of desk space, following widespread reductions by companies in the wake of CovidWorkers are resisting the so-called return to office due to a lack of desk space, following widespread reductions by companies in the wake of Covid. A fifth of workers cited a shortage of desks and facilities among their top three reasons for avoiding the office, according to a survey by real estate consultancy Remit Consulting. The firm claims that businesses may have scaled back desk numbers too aggressively after the pandemic spurred a rise in home working. More →

If you want to get ahead in your career, get in to the office, report argues

If you want to get ahead in your career, get in to the office, report argues

Businesses are increasingly likely to prioritise workers willing to come into the office for pay rises and promotions, according to new researchBusinesses are increasingly likely to prioritise workers willing to come into the office for pay rises and promotions, according to a new poll from Reed Group. A year ago Reed.co.uk, which deals with over 30 million job applications a year, predicted that employers would increasingly mandate days in the office and would prioritise what it called the ‘in-person premium’. More →

A divine spark of inspiration for office occupiers and designers

A divine spark of inspiration for office occupiers and designers

Organisations are having to rethink the form and function of their offices in ways unprecedented in their relatively short history. And perhaps the biggest challenge is to create places to work that reflect the organisation’s culture and the needs of the people who work there (some of the time). One possible framework for aligning an office design model with the culture of the organisation is presented in a supplement published for IN Magazine called Gods of Work. Published in partnership with Modus, it draws on management and organisational theory and established models of office design to suggest solutions to some of the challenges facing organisations as they rethink the way they work. The office of the future for most organisations will be smaller, but much better and we hope this becomes an invaluable guide for those setting out on that path.