NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
BRITISH COUNCIL FOR OFFICES
READY FOR OFFICE
To remain relevant we need to
evolve, said BCO President and
Conference Chair, Mark Kowal of
Sheppard Robson to the gathering
of occupiers, investors, developers,
designers, constructors and suppliers
at the BCO conference which took
place in Manchester in June.
The host city experienced a resurgence
in recent years and Joanne Roney
OBE, Chief Executive, Manchester City
Council was on hand to outline its vision.
She described the work being done
to support innovation and the green
economy in Greater Manchester, with a
focus on a public transport system that
delivers a seamless travel experience.
She also disclosed that there is an influx
of global companies to the city, with over
half of the o ice developments currently
in the developmental pipeline pre-let.
Roney added that to attract talent,
we need workplaces that o er more
than a desk; a topic tackled by a panel
of developers in a session chaired by
Rebecca Heron, Head of Development
and Strategy, Manchester City Council.
Martyn Evans, Creative Director, U+I
said that the developer’s main job is to
create the right places for people so “if
10 JULY 2022
we’re having a tough time getting people
back, we have to inspire them.” He
argued that o ices must be welcoming,
collaborative and inspiring, and to
deliver this “our job Is to understand
what people want to do in the o ice.”
Summing up the facilities challenge,
Chris Ogelsby, Chief Executive,
Bruntwood referred to the “flexibility and
amenity arms race” where workplaces
are deployed as a destination that
o ers a range of amenities, from gyms
and cafés to flexible and collaborative
spaces.
GAME CHANGER, OR GAME
OVER?
Taking a global approach to the
economic, social and political scene
was a stellar panel comprising,
Bronwen Maddox, Director, Institute for
Government, the Rt Hon Alan Johnson
and Anne McElvoy, Senior Editor at the
Economist.
The session, which was chaired
by Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive,
BCO was a sobering reminder of the
disruption and uncertainty following
Brexit, the pandemic and now the war
in Ukraine. Summarising just some
of the challenges which will impact
the economy and society, the panel
reflected that huge global forces,
including migration on a scale the
world hasn’t seen, bringing with it huge
environmental challenges is changing
the world and how people organise
themselves.
Digital technology does o er some
hope that we can overcome this
uncertainty and create places where
people can excel, suggested a panel
comprising an occupier, landlord,
provider and connectivity expert
Sanjaya Ranasinghe of WiredScore, who
described SMART technology as “about
making places where people can excel.”
Commented Jonathan Munkley of
WSP, SMART has become a buzz word
but there’s a lot of confusion on what is
meant by it, but in simple terms “it’s got
to be about engaging with the client and
with the users to find out how they’re
using an asset.”
Tom Gould of Skanska, said SMART
buildings o er both landlords and
facilities managers information on how
a building is performing, enabling them
to monitor assets remotely for both
reactive, preventative and predictive
maintenance, as well as helping to meet
net zero challenges.
FUTURE OFFICE
A discussion on the design of the
Future O ice centred around three key
stakeholder perspectives, a developer/
landlord, an architect, and an occupier.
One of their most thought-provoking
predictions for the long-term future of
the workplace was that in 10 years, you
might walk through any o ice door to
one massive coworking zone, to enjoy
social interaction as well as a focused
place to work.
Transforming building occupancy, a
session previewed(i) in FMJ, is predicated
on us accepting, said Chair Despina
Katsikakis, Global Head of Total
Workplace, Cushman & Wakefield, “that
work doesn’t happen in a single place.
Our industry has to accept the challenge
and define the purpose and value of the
o ice because if we are complacent and
just go back to the way things where, it’ll
be game over.”
Given the fight for talent and the
positive experience of many home
workers, the balance of power has
shi ed, said Paul Casey, Director, IBM
EMEA Global Real Estate. This means
that despite misgivings on hybrid
working by corporate leaders, employers
must embrace changing work patterns
that are acceptable to the workforce,
even if not for the CEO.
Using the mantra ‘test and learn’, Andy
McBain, Head of Future of Workspace
& Design, Natwest Group, provided
an invaluable tick list for an inviting
workplace. As just about every meeting
is hybrid, invest in touchscreen tech for
meeting rooms; food should be used as
an anchor; as is hosting events that draw
people back in. And when people do
come back into the workplace give them
the digital tools/apps to book everything
from a space to a co ee.
Referring to the BCO conference’s
broad audience – comprising those
who design, build, as well as manage
o ice space, Vernon Blunt, Global
Workplace Operations Director,
Ericsson concluded that to successfully
manage changed working patterns,
and achieve sustainability as well as
ESG goals, requires a collaborative
approach. Judging by the consensus of
the stakeholders on stage and on the
conference floor, the sector is ready for
the challenge.
(i) www.fmj.co.uk/transformative-advice
The 2022 British Council for O ces Annual Conference brought together stakeholders
in the development, investment and occupation of buildings to discuss the challenges
ahead for the o ce sector
/transformative-advice
