BCO Media, Author at BCO - British Council for Offices

A very happy International Women’s Day to all! In support of the #breakthebias campaign, introducing some of the terrific women who will be speaking at this year’s BCO Conference in June:

Joanne has been the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council since April 2017. Over the past 4 years she has dealt with several unprecedented events including the Manchester Arena Bomb. Joanne is driving the Council through the fundamental changes to Health and Social Care. She is lead Chief Executive for economy across Greater Manchester.

Before moving to Manchester, Joanne was previously Chief Executive of Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council, where she held the top post from 2008.

Joanne’s career started in local government as an apprentice with Birmingham City Council when she was 16. She has a strong track record in transforming public services and delivering major regeneration initiatives such as the Hepworth Gallery Wakefield and Parkhill Housing in Sheffield. She has extensive experience in housing and local government having previously worked as Director of Housing at Kirklees Council and Executive Director with responsibility for housing, communities and adult care services at Sheffield City Council. Joanne is a Fellow of CIH and a regular contributor to Inside Housing.

In September 2021 Joanne was named the Local Authority Chief Executive of the Year at the annual MJ (Municipal Journal) Awards.

Becca Heron is the Strategic Director of Growth and Development at Manchester City Council. Formerly Director of Economy and Skills at Wigan Council, Becca’s career has included a number of different public sector roles, including previous positions within both Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

During her time with the GMCA, Becca led on a series of high-profile and complex initiatives, including the development of 2014 Devolution Agreement. At Wigan, she took on the economic development and regeneration brief, playing a pivotal role in bringing key sites forward for development and kickstarting the redevelopment of Wigan town centre.

As Strategic Director of Growth and Development at Manchester City Council, Becca has a key role in the delivery of the ambitions set out in the Our Manchester strategy, leading the city’s recovery following the pandemic, building on the successes of the last two decades to drive inclusive growth that will ensure the city continues to be one of the most exciting destinations in Europe to live, work and play.

Ruth Davidson is a journalist, broadcaster, author and politician. She served for eight years as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, during which time she transformed the party’s prospects, leading to its greatest electoral results in 35 years. She also played a prominent role in both the Scottish independence and EU referendum campaigns, arguing her case in stadium television debates at the Glasgow Hydro and Wembley Arena. As the first openly gay leader of a major political party in the UK, and the first party leader to give birth while in office, Ruth has broken barriers throughout her time in public life.

A regular contributor to debates on gender, inclusion and equality, Ruth talks about authentic leadership from a first-hand perspective. A former BBC journalist and Territorial Army soldier, Ruth understands how important individual expression, trust and developing leadership skills can be within large organisations.

Her close professional relationship with successive Prime Ministers, and membership of UK Cabinet, gives her a unique insight into the current political environment north and south of the border.

Ruth’s book, Yes She Can – Why Women Own the Future, is a positive appraisal of gender advancement across the globe; how far women have come to achieving equality and, crucially, how much road there is still to travel. It draws on direct testimony from world-beating women as diverse as Christine Lagarde, Dame Katherine Grainger and Melinda Gates, who Ruth interviewed in a fascinating series of conversations while researching her work.

Despite operating exclusively in the Scottish Parliament, Ruth has successfully built a UK-wide platform. A gifted political communicator with a modern, realworld touch, she is as at home on Have I got News for You, The One Show, Celebrity Chase and The Great British Bake Off: Stand Up To Cancer as she is on Newsnight, Question Time and Andrew Marr. In 2018, she was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year, alongside international figures from sport, media, and politics including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Prince Harry.

Ruth’s professional career prior to politics was in broadcast journalism, variously operating as a presenter, producer and documentary maker. Since leaving the party leadership, Ruth has returned to journalism, regularly providing political commentary for the Telegraph, Mail on Sunday and the Evening Standard as well as developing broadcast projects for both television and radio. She lives in Edinburgh with her partner Jen, son Finn, and cocker spaniel, Wilson.

Bronwen is Director of the Institute for Government, the think tank that aims to improve the effectiveness of government. She previously served as Editor and CEO of the influential current affairs magazine, Prospect – which both explains City thinking to policy makers and helps the financial community navigate the geo-political landscape.

Bronwen started out as an investment analyst in the City and on Wall Street, and a director of Kleinwort Benson’s media team. She moved into journalism to head up the Financial Times investigation into Maxwell, before joining The Times as Washington Bureau Chief, US Editor, and finally Foreign Editor. She remains a regular newspaper contributor.

With access to key figures across business, politics and leadership, Bronwen has built a reputation for informed, original insights. She has interviewed almost everyone from Henry Kissinger to Vladimir Putin.

In presentations she sets out the big challenges besetting the West, which she argues are overturning a pattern that’s been settled since the end of World War II. As one example, the ageing population means that society can no longer afford the present pensions and benefits system; but is democracy capable of delivering the changes necessary, or will the scale of transformation needed make governments too unpopular to be elected?

Born in the US, Bronwen is author of the acclaimedI n Defence of America. She is perfectly positioned to analyse the global impact of events on Capitol Hill.

For over 35 years Katsikakis has led innovation, research and implementation of transformative workplace environments for global corporates and exemplary real estate developments for investors worldwide.

In her role at Cushman & Wakefield, she provides input across the firm’s global business on the rapidly-changing context of work and its impact on employee engagement, productivity and wellbeing and the future role of the workplace.

With these factors increasingly determining the leasing decisions of leading corporations, Katsikakis’ unrivalled insight on the future of work benefits occupier clients – as well as building landlords and investors – through repositioning commercial real estate to drive top line performance.

Despina is the BCO junior vice president and she serves on the advisory board of Delos™, the pioneers of Wellness Real Estate™ and founders of the WELL Building Standard.
She regularly lectures around the world, writes and contributes to media, research and publications on the future of the workplace.

Learn more about the annual conference taking place in Manchester and book your tickets here via the BCO website.

Christopher Blust, AKT II
Matthew Redgrove, Turner + Townsend
Isabella Clark, AECOM
Beth Starling, Will+Partners
Oliver Hall, Make Architects
Matthew Sumpter, Ridge & Partners
Andrew Howe, Heyne Tillett Steel
Elizabeth Ward, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Angela Joseph, alinea consulting
Hannah Alden, British Land
Kane Lewis, Derwent London
Jo Al-Hillawi, CO-RE
Alex Novelli, Cushman & Wakefield
Louis Arron, U+I
Emily Pallot, Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt
Holly Breathnach, Great Portland Estates
Chloe Prince, Catella Apam Ltd
Tom Bremner, Cushman & Wakefield

The human experience is the holistic experience a person has within a building or space, both virtually and physically. A positive human experience will encourage people to thrive in their workplace. This can have a knock-on effect on the health and well-being of employees, actively encouraging happiness in the workplace, thereby enhancing productivity, and increasing staff attraction and retention.

Through design, we should look to develop strategies which aid in creating valuable connections between people, their purpose and brand. In a post-covid world, we should aspire to utilise occupier-centric thinking to reconnect people, strengthen their sense of collaboration, brand identity and team culture collectively, and create the opportunity for a positive human experience within the workplace.

The workplace of the future should be more than just an office in the traditional sense. It should be meticulously considered, particularly at ground level, and in relation to the amenity spaces provided to occupiers. This could include facilities such as showers, adequate and secure bike storage, and locker spaces, all of which are important for supporting a sense of self ownership within the workplace. This in particular applies to more flexible environments, where many companies are moving away from 1-1 desking, towards shared-desking or more flexible hybrid arrangements.

Ground level spaces are key for attracting prospective occupiers to buildings. We should consider what innovative experiences these spaces can provide, which other buildings cannot. This thinking will be key in attracting and retaining businesses/tenants, and for connecting brand culture, community, and identity.

Workplaces of the future should maximise the potential for positive social engagement. This means considering how office structures can contribute to the wider community. We should foster synergy between the workplace and its surroundings, to create spaces which reflect the community existing within. We should also be looking at constructing mixed-use developments which encompass retail spaces, multi-purpose facilities, healthcare provision and activity/fitness spaces, thus creating workplaces which are also destinations within the city.

A positive human experience relies on occupier-centric thinking which should be reflected throughout the design stages, during pre-occupation and post-occupation. Effective engagement is integral to understanding brand identity and the community and culture of a team or business, now even more important to facilitate in a post-pandemic context. Questions we should be asking when designing a workplace include: how are the present spaces and systems working? In what areas are they succeeding, and in what areas are there space for improvements?

Pre-occupation engagement is fundamental in the transformation of the existing business model. Design projects become a catalyst for this change, and so it is critical to understand the client’s vision and purpose and be able to translate this into an exciting and inviting workplace design where the positive human experience becomes a driver for motivating staff to return to the office. This means anticipating when occupier engagement should expand and facilitating the creation of soft landings to ease people into the future office. The language we use (particularly during fit-out) should be about the occupier and how they will experience the workplace, rather than centering around the building and property itself.

New thought leadership drives “team-ship” in the workplace. This focus centers on community, culture, brand, and identity on an internal level. A developed discussion around the experience of corporates over the past two years will be key to understanding how the human experience has been impacted in this area, and for establishing the strategies which are being implemented to re-engage these key areas of a team in the workplace. It is highly likely that many corporates will have experienced the disengagement of departments and teams over the past two years, and so it is important to design spaces which support the revitalisation of team-ship and enhance connectivity. We should encourage and maintain strong team culture and brand identity in an increasingly hybrid world.

We are seeing variations upon trends emerging across multiple projects: the accelerated use of technology to connect those working remotely and in the office; increased break out and social space; greater demand for spaces which provide collaborative opportunities; more amenity space; and finally, a home-like feel. The workplace of the future is already being informed by the lessons learnt and the emergence of new thought leadership styles.

Technology and AI are extremely influential in determining whether the human experience within a space is positive. For example, laptop enabled workspaces encourage flexibility by design. Installing systems which feature integrated technology and support hybrid working strategies (maintaining team culture and brand identity whilst working remotely) signals a step towards future-proofing the workplace. We should also be looking towards constructing smart buildings, featuring environmental sensors which measure and record air quality, lighting, and noise levels and which are adaptable, to support user comfort. The BCO’s Use of Wearables in the Office report goes further and highlights how this data could be paired with data from individuals’ wearable devices to identify optimal physical environments for the individual or collective within the work space. The installation of occupancy sensors which connect to booking systems through building and staff apps can be highly beneficial, with the aim of promoting high impact behaviour patterns for the general wellbeing of occupiers. Furthermore, occupiers should be provided with a thorough guide to using the building/workplace in such a way that will maximise their individual human experience within the space. Evidently, well-equipped AV and physical technology in the modern workplace is essential.

Supporting health and well-being is pivotal to designing a future-thinking and positive human experience within the workplace. This focus area could be expanded through design concepts and strategies. Establishing which are the most important to a business and which have the most beneficial impacts on the workplace experience will be key. For example, the Park Concept encourages the integration of biophilia and biomimicry, the availability of views, and outdoor spaces in the workplace. Activity Spaces encompass the availability of fitness facilities and gyms, supported by ancillary spaces which encourage building users to get active. The availability of doctors and dentists is also a possibility, and there is the question of whether we should be looking to integrate Healthcare Facilities into the design of the future mixed-use developments to support workplace occupiers. The integration of Mindfulness spaces would offer users a place to destress, rest, or to conduct private prayer. Lastly, the idea of creating spaces which are Versatile and Multipurpose echoes the aforementioned potential availability of fitness spaces but could also be further expanded on, to include social events, arts spaces, and community forums.Workplaces of the future should be vibrant, engaging, productive, and magnetising destinations in the city.

We would like to thank WILL+Partners and the BCO Research Committee for their continued support and research findings.

Follow BCO NextGen’s Beth Starling, Interior Designer, WILL+Partners on LinkedIn.

CONFERENCE CHARITIES

Every year the BCO raises money for charity. This is integral to taking part in the cycling challenge, but we also hope that every delegate will take two minutes to donate to one of our two mental health charities this year, either Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) or Shout 85258.

Merseyway Innovation Centre

On Wednesday 24 January, up to 40 BCO North members were given an in-depth look at the prime commercial space, situated in the middle of the town’s retail district.

Mersey Innovation Centre has been transformed from a vacant 1960s retail space into a vibrant and sustainable co-working space.

The centre now offers flexible serviced office and coworking accommodation for new start-up and existing small businesses. The revamped space includes a business lounge, shared and individual offices, and shared meeting and collaboration facilities.

The BCO North Talk & Tour event was hosted by Phil Doyle, who served as BCO North Chairperson from 2018–2021 and is the founding director of 5plus Architects. The Manchester-based practice led on the designs that brought the Merseyway Innovation Centre vision to life.

Representatives from Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council presented their wider plans for the town centre, followed by an update on the South Manchester office market by CBRE. There was then a panel debate, including MIC operator Oxford Innovations Space, on the role of the office sector in the future of our regional town centres and high streets.

Phil commented: “It’s great to see Merseyway Innovation Centre injecting new life into a vacant retail space; transforming part of Merseyway to create a dynamic, modern and thriving hub for local businesses and entrepreneurs.

“As ever, the BCO Talk & Tour gave our members and other attendees a first-hand look at how forward-thinking office accommodation can help to repurpose spaces and reposition urban centres.

“We’d like to thank our guest speakers for showcasing their exceptional work and passion for regeneration.”

Formally opened in November 2023, the creation of Merseyway Innovation Centre was made possible through funding from the EU’s European Regional Development Fund (via Northern Powerhouse), Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Cultural Development Fund.

It is central to the wider regeneration of Merseyway by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, which includes a brand-new library along with significant public realm improvements that supports private sector office and retail investment.

The BCO North Talk & Tour event was sponsored by TMT.

British Council for Offices researches, develops and communicates best practice in all aspects of the office sector. It delivers this by providing a forum for the discussion and debate of relevant issues. Membership is drawn from those who occupy office space, and those professional organisations and people who design, build, and manage office space. For more information on becoming a BCO member, visit this page.

Manchester is a city that has helped shape the world. Whether it is in industry, science or culture, this vibrant city has always pioneered new ways of working and thinking and has, in doing so, transformed itself into a modern cosmopolitan powerhouse.

Recast for the 21st century as the original modern city, Greater Manchester has experienced a contemporary resurgence. This was marked culturally by the acclaimed reopening of the Whitworth art gallery, international arts centre HOME, and the world-leading Manchester International Festival. This resurgence also saw a property and investment boom that has outpaced the rest of the country, and through major changes to its governance and infrastructure, Manchester has been positioned as the central focus of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ agenda.

Young people are flocking here to take advantage of its thriving economy, unrivalled student experience and smart jobs in the science, creative and digital sectors. Greater Manchester is truly worthy of its accolades, as being the UK’s most competitive, economically productive, livable and vibrant region.

As host city for the 2022 BCO Annual Conference, where better to engage with and debate the future attributes of the office, and to grasp this opportunity to re-evaluate and reset?

To slot into delegates’ busy working lives, the mid-week conference will run from Tuesday 14th to Thursday 16th June.

Manchester, its culture, and all it has to offer will provide the perfect setting for the office community to network, engage with and explore the opportunity we all hold to influence the workplaces of the future. We hope to deliver a truly diverse and inclusive event that offers something for everyone.

I look forward to welcoming you all there on 14th June 2022.

The full programme for the conference will soon be revealed once bookings open on 19 January 2022. As we look forward to welcoming many of you to our upcoming annual conference, Chief Executive of the British Council for Offices, Richard Kauntze shares his motivations for the long-awaited in-person event, which will provide an unprecedented opportunity to revaluate and redefine the role of the office as we know it.

Last year Greater Manchester’s inaugural Green Summit saw the city’s mayor, Andy Burnham outline ambitious plans for a region where “all businesses need to become green businesses”.

As issues of climate change and sustainability are pushed higher up the agenda across industries, including our own, what better city to host the BCO’s next annual conference than Manchester?

The three-day event will provide an exciting opportunity for industry experts to exchange thoughts upon the key requirements for future workplaces, of which creating a more sustainable world will play a critical part.

Although the recent COP26 climate change conference has accelerated the sustainability debate, extended lockdowns had already brought renewed scrutiny of the office’s environmental impact – particularly the carbon cost of commuting and the need to improve energy inefficiencies.

Our sector is already working hard to make offices greener, to drive new technologies and modern approaches to the workplace that can overhaul how Britain constructs, designs and equips its buildings – something which will be crucial to any post-Covid ‘green rebuild’. But, as ever, there is much more to be done.

It won’t be easy, but by working together towards this common goal, I believe our industry, and all the talent it employs, can achieve truly remarkable growth towards a more sustainable future for British offices.

In my mind, the key to success lies in our ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and innovative practices, which I look forward to discussing with you throughout the conference.

Richard Kauntze
Chief Executive, British Council for Offices

The conference is taking place 14-16 June 2022 in Manchester.
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#BCOconference #BCOManchester

With the upcoming 2022 BCO Annual Conference being hosted in Manchester, we sat down with Sarah Syson, the NextGen winner for the North of England and North Wales region, and spoke about all things offices, nurturing young talent and sector innovation.

Sarah is a Warrington-based Associate Design Director at Claremont and was awarded the Rising Star accolade at the Annual BCO NextGen Awards last November, which recognises under 35’s for their achievements within the office sector.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us Sarah, so to start: what is the greatest piece of advice you would offer to NextGen candidates in the coming years?

I would tell them, ‘Don’t forget the simple things!’ We tend to work under tight deadlines and dealing with the pressure can be difficult. When you find yourself struggling in these moments, take a deep breath and make a list of priorities that you can discuss with your colleagues. And remember, there’s no such thing as a silly question, so get involved, stay curious, and keep learning!

It’s very hard for me to pinpoint a favourite, with so many outstanding commercial office developments in the region, but if I had to, I would pick the Royal Liver Building in Liverpool. People have a tendency to focus upon newer buildings, but it’s so important not to forget the many iconic buildings that exist in the North! They have personality, charm and character, meaning that we can create memorable spaces for clients. For that reason, the Royal Liver Building, with its fantastic history and amazing views is my favourite.

As a NextGen Rising Star, what is the greatest area of innovation that you foresee affecting the office sector in the coming years?

If I had to guess, I would predict that technologies related to mixed presence digital collaboration will become an even more vital tool for maintaining team connection and fostering innovation. As hybrid working establishes itself as the norm, the desire for immersive environments will only increase. As a designer who puts people at the heart of any scheme, I think it’s so important to focus upon creating inclusive environments. That way, the office can remain a fantastic place for socialising and informal knowledge sharing.

When it comes to sustainability, what solutions would you like to see implemented more in the future?

As we collectively seek to reduce our carbon footprint, it would be great to see solutions implemented that reduce waste, and efforts at re-using and recycling commercial furniture in innovative and unexpected ways.

We look forward to welcoming you to the conference in June 2022. Look out for bookings opening in January.

What better way to celebrate the host city of the upcoming BCO Annual Conference in June 2022, than to take a trip down memory lane and admire a previous BCO National Awards winner based in Manchester?

As we centre our 2022 conference around redressing the role of offices in our lives and shaping how buildings can encourage fresh thinking, looking at one example of an outstanding local office is a perfect way to begin our reflection.

Couchbase, a stunning Grade II listed office in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, once an old loading bay and disused space, is now a unique home to the pioneering tech company. The developers transformed the site through interesting design concepts that made amazing use of the space to meet Couchbase’s office requirements, whilst also celebrating the history of the building.

As the home to many exciting growth enterprises, with brands such as WPP, Booking.com, Boohoo and AO.com continuing to expand their local presence in Manchester, this impressive office is just one of the many modern workspaces popping up across England’s second city.

We look forward to welcoming you to the conference on 14 June 2022 where we will talk about more pioneering office examples like this. Bookings will open in January 2022.

It could be you, a design team member, a client, or a subcontractor on the construction site. Mental Health issues and suicidal thoughts can affect anyone. The BCO in Scotland wants to create a lasting legacy that ensures our members – and others in the property and construction sectors – feel safe and protected, in the workplace, on site and at home.

With our membership – and the property and construction sectors generally – being strongly represented by men, who we know are statistically more likely to take their own lives, we know there is an immediate and overwhelming need to signpost help and make sure that people know what help is available.

We are starting a conversation with our Committee members and wider membership about how we can help to prevent suicides. We have begun to approach organisations that offer support to people facing crisis, so we can educate ourselves about the most appropriate way to offer support.

We believe that any future initiative to raise awareness, signpost support and fundraise for these crucial services, should be industry-wide, so we would like to start a conversation within the BCO about how we create a sea-change and support people in their workplace and at any time of need. We would like to link up with others in the industry who have already started this conversation and want to get involved.

Latest news

BRITISH COUNCIL FOR OFFICES CROWNS THE UK’S BEST WORKPLACES

British Council for Offices Chief Executive Richard Kauntze to step down in summer 2025

Peter Crowther appointed President of the British Council for Offices

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Latest news

BRITISH COUNCIL FOR OFFICES CROWNS THE UK’S BEST WORKPLACES

British Council for Offices Chief Executive Richard Kauntze to step down in summer 2025

Peter Crowther appointed President of the British Council for Offices