About Our Reports

Nothing has had more impact on the office sector than technology. Connectivity, the internet of things and growing datasets have already changed how people work and interact with their environment, both at home and at work. This change is going to continue.

Over the years, the BCO has published reports covering the major innovations in the office sector. Expert members have tracked the impact of technology on the built environment, exploring how digital solutions enhance the workplace experience. While investigating the solutions available, they look to the future, to see how technology can improve space utilisation, provide flexibility, boost productivity and reduce running costs.

As the office sector continues to evolve, our reports will be at the forefront of best practice and innovative discovery.

There is substantial evidence that the design of offices impacts the health, wellbeing and productivity of staff. What is less clear is how to achieve optimum design. The sector’s understanding is deepening, aided by advances in technology, but there is a long way to go. 

The BCO has long recognised the importance of promoting the health and wellbeing agenda across the industry. Our reports include ‘Defining and Measuring Productivity in Offices’, which explores how the physical design and management of offices impact staff’s work. 

A second major piece of research is the BCO’s year-long study Wellness Matters, a look at current health and wellbeing practices in offices and what to do about it. This practical guide examines how to create a healthy environment across the stages of a building’s lifecycle, from design to occupation.

A lot has changed since the BCO published the Guide to Specification in 2004, 2009 and 2014, publications that provide the industry standards for office design. Technological, sociological and environmental changes are reshaping approaches to providing offices, often making the traditional ways redundant.

The latest guide, published in 2019, took onboard the industry’s realisation that people, productivity and wellbeing are the principle drivers in the value proposition of creating office space. The office must bring people together in such a way that allows them to work at their very best.

The BCO’s research and reports will continue to evolve as the industry’s understanding of what people need from the office grows.

The relationship between building owners, managers and occupiers has shifted. Occupiers today ask for more from the spaces they occupy, which is demonstrated by the rise in coworking operators and managed workspaces. While people demand flexibility, occupiers need to provide the best workspace to attract and retain the strongest talent.

While more forward-thinking landlords have taken steps forward to improve the customer experience, more can be done. The BCO’s reports champion the importance of service delivery and the need to educate the next generation of professionals in how to provide the best customer experience.

Creating culture change within the industry requires insight into the best way forward. This is what the BCO strives for in this area of research.

Offices play a key role in making better places. They do far more than just provide a place to work; they can act as the stimulus for wider regeneration projects, bringing together a mix of commercial, social, educational and cultural uses.

There is a growing shift to make office development a catalyst for improved urban spaces. Large schemes bring green spaces and places to spend our free time.

The BCO’s research into urban design investigates how neglected neighbourhoods can be transformed, focusing on four pillars of great placemaking: vibrancy, connectivity, providing a sense of wellbeing and context.

The BCO regularly carries out research into specific office sectors. The recent report entitled Who Is The Science Occupier investigates who tenants really are in the growing life sciences sector. Alongside specialist facilities such as laboratory space, what facilities do they need? How is demand changing?

As life sciences and other specialist office sector occupier segments evolve, the BCO will continue to research how the industry can meet occupiers’ needs.