June 23, 2022

BCO Conference challenges the office sector to up its game

Regarded as one of the property sector’s leading events, the BCO Annual Conference saw key players from all parts of the office industry flock to Manchester – the vibrant, modern cosmopolitan powerhouse that is celebrated around the world for being the UK’s most competitive, economically productive, liveable and vibrant region. In her keynote, Joanne Roney, chief executive of Manchester City Council, said that the most demanding, challenging and important priority is climate change, closely followed by making a positive difference to the lives of the people who live and work in the city. More →

June 20, 2022

Birmingham BT HQ shows road ahead for its offices and the city

by Mike Hills • Cities, Features, Property, Workplace design

In January of 2020, shortly before that thing happened and before we knew much about the UK Government’s ‘levelling up’ programme, Birmingham was already a city on the rise. It had recently been announced that it was to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and was riding the crest of a number of high-profile developments and regeneration projects, not least those that arrived on the back of the controversial high speed rail station. More →

June 8, 2022

FUTURE Designs and Artus announce sustainable buildings collaboration

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Artus, the ground-breaking heating and cooling system specialist and FUTURE Designs, the UK’s leading commercial lighting manufacturer, are pleased to announce their collaboration on a purpose-designed, multi service system (MSU), offering a more sustainable and comfortable future for buildings and their occupants. The Artus MSU complements the existing Artus product with an exclusively sourced, custom-built lighting system from FUTURE Designs, alongside comprehensive acoustic properties. This means the functionality is threefold: Artus’s advanced patented air conditioning system, FUTURE Designs’ intelligent lighting system and Class A acoustics. More →

May 31, 2022

A third of UK office workers have no dedicated workspace at home

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Over a third of UK office workers have no dedicated workspace at home, and only 6 percent have been trained for hybrid meetings, claims a new report from Leeds University Business School. The report is an interactive tool and suggests practical measures based on evaluation of stakeholders and employee interviews, industry workshops, cross-industry surveys of UK office workers, employee diaries and case study corporations. More →

May 29, 2022

Office occupiers should invest in neurodiversity, report argues

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Wellbeing

A new report from the British Council for Offices urges landlords and office occupiers to invest in design for neurodiversity, as disabling workspaces continue to hinder wellbeing. The report examines how the neurodiverse community remains underserved and often unsupported in the current employment ecosystem, and in turn, outlines the considerations that built environment practitioners can take to make offices enabling environments, and the crucial role of more inclusive designs. More →

May 19, 2022

Firms rethink office portfolios to accommodate hybrid working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Property

A significant majority of businesses, (68 percent) expect to be promoting a more regular return to the office by the middle of this year, according to the latest EMEA Occupier Sentiment Survey from real estate advisor CBRE. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed (23 percent) said the process is already underway, with 45 percent focussing on the remainder of H1 as the return period. However, nearly three quarters are doing so as part of a shift to hybrid working. More →

May 2, 2022

British Council for Offices honours the North’s best workplaces at annual Regional Awards

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Workplace design

Six workplaces across the North of England and Northern Ireland have been recognised at the annual British Council for Offices (BCO) Regional Awards today. The Northern BCO Awards dinner returned in-person to the Kimpton Clocktower in Manchester, recognising the North’s highest quality developments and setting the standard for excellence in the office sector across the UK. More →

April 28, 2022

British Council for Offices honour London’s best workplaces at annual Regional Awards

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Six London workplaces have been recognised at the annual British Council for Offices’ (BCO) Regional Awards. The London Awards Lunch returned in-person to the London Hilton on Park Lane, recognising the highest quality developments in London and setting the standard for excellence in the office sector across the UK. The winning workplaces include: 80 Charlotte Street (Commercial Workplace); Plumtree Court, 25 Shoe Lane (Corporate Workplace); Dojo, The Brunel Building, 2 Canalside Walk (Fit Out of Workplace); ASOS HQ, Greater London House, 180 Hampstead Road (Refurbished/Recycled Workplace); Pennybank , 33-35 St John’s Square (Projects up to 1,500m sq. ); 1 Triton, 1 Triton Square, Regent’s Place (Innovation) More →

April 14, 2022

The lost art of office furniture peacocking

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design

When Donald Trump was pictured at the tail-end of his tenure as President, sitting uncomfortably at a table that looked like it had been retrieved from a skip, it provoked the sort of sneering commentary about office furniture choices previously seen when Dominic Cummings popped in to the Downing Street garden to deliver some self-serving blather from behind a rickety trestle. More →

March 22, 2022

KI furniture brings versatility and a sense of heritage to PwC’s new Belfast office

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Works Magazine

PwC, the global professional services provider, has made a significant investment in the city of Belfast by relocating its offices to Merchant Square. The move to the city centre comes from a desire to not only support the growth of the company, but to signal its confidence in the area and encourage other businesses to take a similar initiative. The new workplace is spread across 200,000 sq ft over nine floors and provides the regional hub for around 3,000 employees. The building is an amalgamation of three existing structures with a dramatic feature staircase linking floors four, five and six. The hope is that the new office will help to increase employee numbers over the next few years, meaning the design needed to have versatility as well as longevity. To meet both of these requirements, a wide range of KI furniture was specified by the lead interior designer, BDP. More →

March 16, 2022

IVC Commercial offer brand identity and practicality at new offices of Plastribution

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Plastribution, a UK based distributor of plastics and raw materials, recently moved into new offices and called upon Blueprint Interiors to design a practical space that reflected its brand through colours. Across 1,000m sq.m. of space, a range of flooring solutions from IVC Commercial have been used. In the main desking areas, Art Style and Art Fields carpet planks have been installed in a range of colours that reflect Plastribution’s colourful and vibrant brand identity. Bright tones of yellow, cyan and magenta have been contrasted with circles of charcoal grey for a look that is energetic yet professional. More →

March 9, 2022

Workspace Design Show reveals new theme and announces new Amsterdam event

by Freddie Steele • News, Workplace design

With 12 months to go, ‘Destination Workplace’ has been unveiled as the theme for the second edition of the Workspace Design Show. Taking place at London’s Business Design Centre on 27-28 February 2023, the Workspace Design Show will once again be bringing together the entire commercial interiors community to discover and discuss tomorrow’s workspaces. The Workspace Design Show has announced the members of an advisory board and is also launching an Amsterdam counterpart. The Amsterdam show will have a special focus on bringing UK exporters an opportunity to sell to the Benelux market. More →