3 top tips from the BCO Awards Judging Chairs

We have asked some of the Judging Chairs, what advice they would give someone planning to submit an entry for the 2017 Awards. Here are their answers:

Nigel Clark (National Judging Chair): "When you answer the 'Judges Questions', make sure you emphasise every noteworthy credential in your submission. Also: focus on people, not buildings and bear in mind that shortlisting may have to be done on the strength of your submission, so make sure it stands out."

Stephen Lewis (Scottish Judging Chair): "The occupier as end user of offices is key, so the submission should highlight how the project meets their needs, whether it's speculative (commercial) or let (corporate)."

Matt Viall (Midlands & Central England Judging Chair): "It's always great when you see a submission that clearly demonstrates the passion for the project. We look for entries that show that the project team set the bar high from the outset and challenged the 'norms'.  And: always include the numbers and check the maths... we do!"

HOW TO ENTER YOUR PROJECT  

To enter your project for the awards  simply register on our entry website www.bcoawards.co.uk and create an entry. Entries are submitted online in three easy stages:

1. Enter project details

2. Answer the 'Judges Questions' as outlined in the entry guide

3. Upload 10 images and submit

60 seconds with...Helen Hare (GPE) and Bill Price (WSP) talking tours at the BCO Annual Conference 2013

From Wednesday 15 to Friday 17, we will be hosting the BCO Annual Conference in Madrid. The topic for this year is "A Brave New World" with the aim to explore how recent financial challenges are being dealt with by local developers, designers, banks and office occupiers.

Alongside our programme of plenaries and seminars, focussing on key topics relevant to the industry today, we have a varied programme of tours featuring stunning contemporary and classical architecture.

To find out a bit more of what's on offer in Madrid 2013, we spend 60 seconds the people behind our tour programme - Helen Hare,  Project Manager at Great Portland Estates, and Bill Price, Director at WSPUK.

How long have you been working on the tour programme for the BCO Annual Conference 2013? 
Work started in the Spring of 2012 with an arduous initial couple of days spent in the sophisticated city of Madrid. This was followed by three further visits in the autumn of 2012. 

Did you have any opinions on property development in Spain before you first visited? 
I was aware of their recent problems in the property sector, but unprepared for the strong sustainability and cost in use provisions. 

Were you surprised by what’s on offer? 
Yes, the quality and scale of many of the office projects is stunning. These are a major offer for BCO delegates.

What would you say the Madrid market does best? 
The global campus style HQ with excellent facilities and strong ideas about connectivity. Both Santander's HQ , in Boadilla del Monte, is a good example for people to take a look around.

How would you sum up the tour offering at this year’s conference? 
Excellent variety of brand new, established and classic buildings. Delegates are going to enjoy and learn from the visits. 

Do you have any personal highlight? 
(Bill Price) Repsol HQ is a symphony in putting the structure outside the building envelope to create adaptable interiors. BBVA new HQ is likely to be a hidden gem, truly a different kind of HQ building. 

(Helen Hare) From the moment you arrive you enter the amazing Barajas airport and Telefonica has a great public realm offer. 

What do you think delegates will get out of visiting projects in the Spanish capital? 
Delegates will see interesting examples of addressing a continental climate. Cold winters and hot summers are a glimpse into what the UK might be heading towards. Shading, screening, glazing, facades, colours, landscaping and use of public realm are frequently impressive. 

On your visits, have you had a chance to sample the social side of Madrid? Do you have any recommendations? 
There is an awful lot to do in Madrid outside the main BCO conference programme. If you're planning to stay the weekend following then we'd certainly recommend checking out:

• Restaurants: top end restaurants are very impressive. Zalacain and Pan de Lujo are exceptional. 
• The three key art galleries: Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia are fantastic. 
• Parks and gardens are beautifully maintained along with the top public buildings. 
• Tea at the Ritz close to the Prado is a treat as are the many more modest bars and cafes around the Plaza Mayor in the old town. 

If you were to share one top tip with our conference delegates what would it be? 
A few top tips include: 

• To try to make sure your taxi driver really knows where you want to go, trust but verify. 
• Ask a local to order the wine. They choose top quality Rioja at worryingly reasonable prices. 
• Do explore on foot, the distances are manageable and its’ great to be ‘on the street’. 
• Book your restaurant in advance. Despite the rumours about Madrid being in dire financial straits, getting a table at a good restaurant is not achievable on spec. 
• Be prepared to eat supper later in the day, the Spanish start their evenings at 9pm

Places are still available at this year's conference but we would encourage you to book soon to ensure your preferred tour choice.

For more information and how to book please visit www.bco.org.uk/conference

We look forward to seeing you in Madrid soon...

60 seconds with...Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO

It's the start of a new year, so who better to spend 60 seconds with than our very own Chief Executive, Richard Kauntze.

Richard has led the BCO since 1999 and has seen it grow from an organisation with 500 members to 1,500 as it is at present. The last few years have been tough for the industry as a whole, find out whether Richard believes the year ahead will be more promising.

What will the British Council for Offices (BCO) be looking forward to in 2013? 
A great deal! We kick off, of course, with the Annual Dinner (22 January), traditionally the start of the property world’s New Year. Early Spring sees the now well established regional awards lunches and dinners, while between 15-17 May the BCO goes to Madrid for its Annual Conference. Madrid 2013 promises to be outstanding. 

What was your highlight of 2012? 
Winning tickets for the women’s beach volleyball at the 2012 Olympics! (hugely entertaining, if a little surreal in the middle of Horse Guards Parade). Slightly more seriously, also winning tickets for the athletics, and the opening day at that! Just reward for having completed an ‘O’ Level in Olympic ticket applications (which is what it felt like navigating the website). 

What do you see as the main challenge for the industry over the next 12 months? 
The uncertainty of the economic recovery (will we avoid a triple-dip recession?) will unquestionably remain the backdrop to everything else. My gut feeling is that we will start to see some modest growth this year and next, but the recovery will be slow and the road a long one. Occupiers understandably remain very cautious. 

What do you see as the main challenge for the BCO over the next 12 months? 
Delivering the best service possible to our members with the resources available to us is our constant challenge. 

If you had the power to change one thing within the property industry, what would it be? 
Tricky, but somehow to secure far broader recognition for the vast array of talented individuals and companies which make up the office sector. Our best buildings are among the best, sometimes the very best, in the world. The architect’s name may be cited. Few others get a look in, and yet they are all the products of a very broad spectrum of talent, reflected in the BCO’s membership. 

Who, or what, has most inspired you in the Commercial Property Sector? 
There have been very many, but if I had to mention one name it would be Ron Spinney. An outstanding talent, who commanded universal respect. 

What’s your favourite office development in the UK? And why? 
Another difficult (and potentially dangerous!) question for a man in my position. Pushed, I would opt for New Street Square in London’s midtown. I love the architecture, always feel uplifted and the development is an absolute credit to all of those involved. 

What couldn’t you live without in your daily routine? 
Coffee in the morning. Addiction might be an understatement. Very much quality over quantity, but a morning without decent coffee is a non-starter.

60 seconds with...BCO's NextGen Chairmen

Matt Flood (left), associate director at DTZ, has chaired the London Committee for nearly one year. Ben Newton (centre), senior associate at Eversheds, and  Paul Norbury (right), director at 5plus architects have taken on the role of Chairman in the Midlands and Northern Region (respectively) in the last six months. 

 

When did you first get involved in the BCO and what were your initial impressions? 
Paul: I first became aware of the BCO about 8 years ago when I was working on the large RBS fit outs in Manchester. My first involvement was simply attending the technical tours which I suspect is most people’s only experience of the BCO? 

Ben: My first involvement was at the inception of the Midlands NextGen Committee in 2009. It has proved to be an an exciting opportunity for the next generation of leaders in the office sector to share ideas, make contacts and learn from each other – much more than just a networking group. 

Matt: I joined the London committee in 2010 and immediately realised it was a fantastic opportunity to meet a cross-section of the industry at a diverse range of events. 

Can you sum up in three words the benefits of this group? 
Ben: Expanding knowledge and contacts.

Matt: Networking, knowledge and experience. 

Paul: My three words are “interesting”, “talented” and “ideas”...Since I joined the inaugural Northern Committee in 2010 I have spent time with some interesting and talented people on the committee. They always have a broad range of ideas so it’s always good when we meet up. 

Ben & Paul, you have recently stepped up to the role of Chairman in your regions, what do you hope to achieve during your time in post? 
Ben: I want to build on the good work of the Midlands Next Gen Committee to-date and continue to run thought provoking, interesting and well attended events that engage the entirety of the BCO membership in the Midlands (and hopefully expand it). 

Paul: Our targets are to be more active and increase membership. The two go hand in hand though really – there needs to be more activity to convince people to join! Our inaugural year was focussed on establishing ourselves as a committee, running a couple of seminars and working towards the NextGen event at the BCO Conference in Manchester this year. Now we are divulging a little bit and empowering our committee members who are based in Newcastle and Leeds so we spread the efforts and events around the various cities within this region. We have a mini-series of building visits coming up which is looking at industrial buildings that have been reworked into workplaces. We’ve just hosted The Toffee Factory in Newcastle, we will next move to Leeds and then, finally, Manchester. 

Matt, after being in post for over six months, what has been your highlight to date and what are you looking forward to? 
My highlight has to be the NextGen session at the conference in Manchester as it was a combined effort from the NextGen community across the country. Moving forward, I am hoping to successfully establish an initiative between the NextGen and Investor committees. 

What do you all see as a key challenge for the commercial property industry? 
Matt: I would say that the biggest challenge will be sourcing new forms of funding to replace the lack of available debt. 

Ben: Due to the funding difficulties in the sector, developers and landlords need to tailor their product to their customers and offer something different to the market in order to enable them to bring new buildings forward and bring older buildings back in to use. This means they have to work more closely with occupiers to create premises that are more client-focussed, adaptable and economically efficient to operate. 

Paul: I agree and the key challenge will be the creative refurbishment of existing buildings, including creating “office” space out of non-office buildings. Without looking more creatively at building design, the industry will just keep recreating office buildings that have the same old raised floor / carpet / cooling / ceiling solution. Everything will look the same. This isn’t the office of the future, nor does it respond to changing markets and user demands. 

The motto for NextGen is “Learning from the past, looking to the future”, what do you think the key lessons are? 
Paul: The typical market leading offices of the last 15 or so years have served their occupants well, and provided a sound basis for the BCO! There is a lot of good practice we can learn from but we’re interested in the “new directions of office design”. Sustainable, flexible, inspiring and fun work spaces are important, which embrace current trends in technology. 

Who/what has most inspired you in the Commercial Property Sector? 
Matt: John Forrester. 

Ben: Seeing and being involved in the transformation of Birmingham in the 10 years that I have lived in the city. 

Paul: Some of the high profile City of London office buildings are hard to beat, particularly Lloyd’s of London. That building is certainly creative and didn’t replicate the standard office design of the 80’s! 

What couldn’t you live without in your daily routine? 
Ben: My Kindle. 
Paul: iPhone 
Matt: Exercise. 

What is your guilty pleasure? 
Ben: My Norwich City season ticket. Living 160 miles from the ground I don’t get to many games so it’s arguably not great value for money (so my wife says)! 
Matt: Tottenham Hotspur for me. 
Paul: Haribos! We have a “chub cupboard” in the office, which is home to pots of tea and coffee, biscuits, cakes and sweets. The really sour, sugar covered Haribos are a personal favourite!

60 seconds with...Tony Hordon, Director of Business Space at DTZ and BCO Northern Judging Chairman

Tony is Director of Business Space at DTZ and has extensive experience of Agency and Development work, principally providing advice to clients on masterplanning, pre-development design, marketing, property disposal and aquisitions.

He has led the BCO Northern Judging panel since 2011, so we spent 60 seconds quizzing him about his judging experiences to date:

How long have you been a member of the BCO and what do you see as a key benefit? 
I have been a member for some 10 years, during which it has provided an excellent source of information through publications such as The Guide to Specification and the Fit Out Guide, together with of course the various conferences and more recently with my involvement with the BCO Judging Panel. 

You have been on the Northern judging panel for three years and Chairman for one, what has been your favourite moment so far? 
I can honestly say there has been too many moments in order to single out one particular moment. The judging process is incredibly intense over a reasonably short space of time and we pack in so much in terms of the travel, the visits, the debate over the scores and therefore there are many favourite, enjoyable and dare I say entertaining moments! 

What is the hardest part about being a BCO Judge?
Perhaps the most demanding part of being a Judge and certainly a Chairman is the responsibility of arranging the itinerary of visits. The Northern Chapter represents a considerable geographical area to cover from the North of England to Yorkshire to the North West including North Wales and Northern Ireland. Last year for example, we had 23 entrants as far north as Alnwick and as far south as North Wales, together with a visit to Belfast. It is therefore incredibly important to ensure we plan the most efficient route in order to ensure we visit the submission with the appropriate time set aside for each submission. As always best laid plans can be totally thrown when you add the additional ingredients of weather. One particular incident was at Belfast Airport where I had arrived, but unfortunately my fellow Judges, who were flying from Manchester, were kept in a holding pattern for over an hour whilst a significant snow storm blew over! 

What is the best part about being a BCO Judge? 
The opportunity of experiencing a huge variety of schemes across a variety of cities – as part of this variety you get to see the good, the bad and the ugly. Most importantly, firsthand experience of each scheme in terms of the aspiration and ultimately the delivery.   

The Entry Guide asks entrants to describe how the office lifts spirits, is there a past awards entry that made a particularly positive impact on you? And if so, why was this? 
The stand out entry was the scheme we visited in Darlington which was a refurbishment of an old industrial scheme by Marchday and occupied by Student Loans. From the submission the panel were reasonably lukewarm in advance of the visit however on arrival we knew within seconds we were visiting a winner. To convert an old industrial unit into a modern call centre of over 80,000 sq ft with sustainability high on the agenda, air quality, light quality, spacial layout and breakouts was outstanding. It represented perhaps one of the best call centre environments I have ever witnessed – ultimately an environment I would personally work in and certainly a place that as you walk in simply lifts your spirits. 

What advice would you give someone planning to submit an entry for the 2013 Awards? 
As we receive a number of entries, it is important every effort is made to differentiate and highlight the unique points of the project, but in a concise and easy to read manner. I also feel the use of photography is important. 

What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out as a BCO Judge? 
Get plenty of sleep beforehand, travel with plenty of Nurofen, but be prepared for a wonderful experience from the presentation by the home team, to the actual tour of the submission followed by the debate by the Judging Panel, a debate which is fascinating due to the cross section of the panel. In the Northern Chapter we have five judges on the panel, from five different backgrounds, with an agent, an architect, cost consultant, developer and M&E engineer, therefore five different skills and therefore five different opinions.

Who/what has most inspired you in the Commercial Property Sector? 
Whilst my career has been in office agency and development, I am a somewhat frustrated architect and therefore I guess if there is anything that has inspired me during my career it has been the architectural industry. The vision, the creativity and deliverability that this sector achieves can be game changing and life changing. I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with many architects and it really is a pleasure and an inspiration. 

What couldn’t you live without in your daily routine? 
Blackberry 

What is your guilty pleasure? 
My guilty pleasure would have to be margaritas, although I don't have any guilt, only a headache!

Benefitting from BIM (London event)

Fiona Frost, Director of Communications & Events at the British Council for Offices and NextGen Coordinator writes...

On Friday 26 October over 80 delegates joined the NextGen Committee in London to discuss the benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM). As technology advances in every aspect of life at a rate of knots, we wanted to find out if this tool can really “aid” the design team and consultants or if it is just a fancy piece of technology that will have 15 minutes of fame?

Our panel, chaired by Simon Rawlinson (EC Harris and chairman of the BCO Research Committee), consisted of experts from the modellers (Rob Charlton _space group), consultants (Mark Walker WSP) and clients (James Pellatt Great Portland Estates). They were set to explore:

• The impact that the adoption of BIM will have on the development and construction industry?
• How the office sector can reap the benefits?
• What the future will hold?

Rob Charlton, described by Simon Rawlinson as a chameleon (architect by trade, BIM technologist by profession), is chief executive of _space group. As an organization _space group have been advocates of BIM for over 10 years and have pioneered its use in the UK. In Rob's words the driver behind BIM is that "it's not about the technology, it's all about the output and the flow of data from day one until the end".

Marc Walker, UK BIM Development Manager at WSP, picked up on this thread using case studies of the Bulgari Hotel, London Bridge Place and London Bridge Station Redevelopment. These projects were able to demonstrate the benefits of BIM in a variety of areas from the early resolution of critical issues to running simulations and identifying inactive areas on site, thereby increasing efficiency.

Like Rob, Marc agreed that BIM is not just about the technology & software. WSP consider BIM to be a socio-technological system – a way of working that involves people, processes and tools. Marc emphasised that software can only go as far as highlighting the issues. It will always take knowledge and skills to come up with the right solution.

James Pellatt, Head of Projects at Great Portland Estates, continued to enforce the message that BIM doesn't magically work on its own, it needs creative input from everyone involved in the project. James called for the client to take the lead, after all if you are able to iron out problems at the start then there is great potential for less cost, less time, less risk and most of all less waste.

It does sound a bit like I’ve been employed by the Government (who are mandating BIM level 2 by 2016 for the public sector) to create a piece of BIM propaganda. I haven’t, I promise, but for an industry so keen to reduce waste, save time and money surely this is the way forward.

As Rob stated, it's not about the designers and engineers showing how clever they can be, and he doesn't blame people for thinking this way, in reality it's the move from BIM (Building Information Modelling) to BIM (Building Information Management) that will offer the real value.

Overall the key message throughout the morning was collaboration, collaboration and more collaboration! BIM is here to stay and when used correctly there are genuine benefits to be gained in all elements of design, build and occupation.

Still not convinced? Simon Rawlinson challenged our speakers to come up with an Elevator Pitch that could be used on the occasion “you bump into your CEO in the lift, & have 30 seconds to provide them with a business case for BIM”.

"It will save you time & money if all elements of the process work together." James Pellatt, GPE 

 "It's about pulling all the data together for the entire project rather than focussing on individual elements." Rob Charlton, _space group

"Simply say to your chief exec....If we don't buy into BIM then the client won't come to us. The industry is moving forward." Marc Walker, WSP

So what happens next? Will everyone jump on board and how will the industry engage with the end user?

Footnote (29/10/12):

The BCO is currently in the process of commissioning a new research project on BIM as James Wates’ Presidential Project. The report is due to set out the BCO’s view on this subject, provide guidance on best practice and identify the value of BIM to stakeholders across the membership. To keep up to date with news on this report, sign up to the BCO newsletter.

kindly supported by        

Benefitting from BIM?
Friday 26 October 2012 (08.30)
CBRE, Henrietta House, Henrietta Place
London W1

Interested in finding our more about BCO NextGen? Click here to visit www.bco.org.uk

NextGen Summer Social @ The Oast House Manchester

Paul Norbury, Director, 5plus architects
Chair of the Northern NextGen Committee writes...

Last night, Thursday 09 August, over 60 guests attended our first summer social in the Northern Region. It was a great night and one which enabled us to meet colleagues in the commercial property sector in a very informal and relaxed manner. 

This event marked the end of the first year since the establishment of NextGen in the Northern Region and it was good to see an appetite for more. As mentioned in my welcome speech our first year was very much focussed on the BCO conference, hosted in Manchester on 23-25 May, and moving forward it is our intention to create a varied programme of relevant tours and seminars for the NextGen audience.

The committee will shortly be launching a series of building visits looking at the creative re use of former industrial buildings as workplaces. Our proposed sites include; The Toffee Factory (Newcastle), Tower Works (Leeds) and the Sharp Project (Manchester). Do post comments to this post if you have any questions or issues you would like raised at any of these events.

If you want to be the first to hear when bookings open then I would encourage you to sign up to our mailing list. Email events@bco.org.uk with your name & contact details and we'll do the rest.

We look forward to seeing you soon and in the meantime here are a few shots from last night's event. You can see the full album at www.facebook.com/BCOSocial

The sun shone on Spinningfields for our first Summer Social.

@TheOastHouseMcr provided a great spread of bohemian food in a bespoke venue.

NextGeners relaxing in the Beer Garden

A few of my colleagues from 5plus architects network with other NextGen members

Inside at the Oast House, a great venue in Manchester's Spinningfields

We weren't the only ones enjoying the sun at The Oast House. 
(You can see the venue for our next tour in the background, Tower 12. Sign up to our emails to find out more.)

kindly sponsored by

NextGen Summer Social - Manchester 

Thrusday 09 August 2012 (18.00)
The Oast House, Spinningfields
Manchester

Interested in finding our more about BCO NextGen? Click here to visit www.bco.org.uk

Benefitting from BIM (Birmingham)

Richard Pearce, Associate at Arup 

and member of the NextGen Midlands Committee writes...

The BCO NextGen Midlands Committee hosted their first “out of town” event at The Arup Campus in Solihull. The event titled "Benefitting from BIM” attracted attendees from across the sector include interior designers, architects, project managers, and contractors. 

The first speaker, Colin Magner (BIM Manager at Arup), explained some of the principles behind BIM and how, as an industry, there has long been a need to provide a more integrated process for delivery. Colin explained that BIM is far more than 3D modelling; with the information that is stored in the model being of value to designers, contractors and ultimately end users. “One version of the truth” is the focus, with drawings, schedules, and specification data all originating from the same model. Change the lighting on the layout view and the associated schedules change automatically. 

Colin explained how Arup see the best value in BIM when all parties start designing in BIM early, say at RIBA stage C. BIM is all about collaboration so it’s important to remember the needs of others in developing the model. 

Richard Hartigan, Senior Associate at Eversheds, attracted a number of questions following his presentation on the Legal Implications of a BIM environment. Richard highlighted that it was key to identify the legal issues at the outset of the project to ensure that they could be suitably covered in contract. A key message was that although only the JCT form of contract refers to BIM, the principles of our legal system are well set up to deal with issues that may arise under Joint and Several Liability. 

Richard picked up on Colin’s introduction to the BIM coordinator role, and highlighted that this new appointment would introduce a multitude of practical and commercial issues including, scope of services, powers and timing. 

The third and final speaker was Richard Draper from Birmingham City University. Following the development of the BIM for phase 1 of their City Centre Campus, Richard was employed by the University as their BIM manager. Richard explained how the University were early adopters of BIM and how that came with challenges particularly around implementation and procurement. 

Richard explained that one of the key drivers for implementing BIM was the University’s requirement to move to a more pro-active / preventative maintenance regime to improve their service to their internal clients. They included the requirement for the contractor to provide the University with an as-built BIM. The contractor will be delivering a 3D asset and facilities management software package that integrates with the BIM and provides the University with a single source for all of the associated data. 

The University have mandated BIM on the 2nd phase of the City Centre Campus which is currently out to Tender. With the development of the industry over the past two years, Richard is expecting to see further developments in the capabilities of the contractors and a more interactive tool delivered at completion. Richard also confirmed that the University is now looking to record its existing estate in BIM using 3D laser scanning to create a point cloud that will be delivered as a 3D model. 

Through experience it would seem that BIM will soon be touching everyone involved with the built environment. With the continuing development of the software tools available to designers, more robust contracts suited to collaborative working, and the delivery of easily accessible interactive FM platforms it seems that we can all benefit from BIM. 

kindly supported by        

Benefitting from BIM

Wednesday 13 June 2012 (17.30)
The Arup Campus, Blythe Valley Park,
Solihull, West Midlands

Interested in finding our more about BCO NextGen? Click here to visit www.bco.org.uk

 

60 Seconds with...James Wates, Wates Group and BCO senior vice president

This year the BCO Annual Conference will be visiting Manchester (23-25 May 2012). James Wates, deputy chairman of the Wates Group and BCO senior vice president, is leading the committee for the conference. Read on to find out more about James and his thinking behind the conference.

When did you join the BCO? and why?

1993 - I saw it as a great networking opportunity and I've never been disappointed!

As senior vice president of the BCO you are currently working on the 2012 Annual conference. Why was Manchester chosen as the host city this year?

Manchester is widely recognised as having transformed its landscape and its standing in the aftermath of the Arndale bomb. It's an inspirational city and an ideal place to discuss regeneration and the role of and challenges for second cities.

The conference is called The Phoenix Effect: regeneration, reinvention & results. What's the thinking behind this title?

We are keen to explore how cities take successful action to revitalise their economic position and their social cohesion. We'll be examining how much of this is in the control of local authorities and local businesses and how mcuh is affected and determined by forces beyond the city cush as national economy and government.

Tours include Media City, Salford.

What are you most looking forward to at this year's conference?

I'm very much looking forward to the opening session which will set the tone and ambition of the event. But I'm also looking forward to creating a sense of enjoyment for the delegates as they take in not just work at the conference but also everything that Manchester has to offer.

What do you think delegates will get out of this year's event?

The intention is to see delegates get something practical and thought-provoking from the conference; useful insights and also wider thinking to stimulate their thinking longer-term.

What is the hot topic on your agenda?

Skills are always on my agenda. Training and skills are the life-blood of any sector within the Built Environment. Planning too at the moment is an issue for all of us, as is seeing growth return to the economy.

What is your guilty pleasure? (Something you enjoy but feel a bit guilty for. Possibly an embarrassing taste, whether it be music, fashion, food etc)

All the good stuff in our local farm shop - restraint is a requirement!

Do you have a hidden talent?

My wife gave me a drum kit for Christmas - an as yet undiscovered talent!

What couldn't you live without in your daily routine?

My iPad 

Visit www.bco.org.uk for up to date information about this year's BCO Annual Conference.

Office Investment: who wants what?

Adrian Griffith, Associate Director of GVA 
and NextGen Midlands Committee Member writes...

On Thursday 23 February 2012, BCO NextGen in the Midlands hosted a discussion event at the Barclays Latitude Club in Birmingham.  The venue hosted the first panel debate between five of the largest stakeholders in the future of Birmingham and the wider region, the title being 'Office Investment: Who Wants What'.  In front of 60 attendees, the panel, chaired by Carl Potter of GVA, answered questions from the floor and through the live feed of Twitter on a bank of monitors behind them. 

Our panel of speakers included:

• Jason Constable Barclays Corporate
• Anthony Leonard Hines
• Alex Turner USS
• Jonathan Wallis Miller Developments

Questions ranged from “What are the 2 or 3 criteria you look for when investing in property?” and “Is a pre-let essential when kick starting a development?” to “How attractive is  Birmingham for office investment?” and “As a result of the recession what will never be the same again?”

As each panel member provided their responses, tweets were fed back to the wider audience on line. Click here to view the “TweetScript”.

With one hour allotted for the debate, time soon came to an end and was concluded with a summing up from Carl Potter (aka David Dimbleby). 

Overall the panel believe that speculative development, in the short term, is unlikely unless more that 50% is pre let, occupiers will continue to focus on shorter lease lengths, and future development will require close relationships with tenants. Ultimately everything is cyclical and whilst the recession has changed elements of the property market and development for good, memories are short and generations change.

A selection of photos posted on Twitter from audience members.

Getting ready at Barclays Latitude Club.

The audience take their seats.

Q&A with five of Birmingham's largest stakeholders.

Office Investment: who wants what? Thursday 23 February 2012 (17.30) Barclays Latitude Club, One Snow Hill, Birmingham

kindly supported by

Interested in learning more about BCO NextGen? Click here to visit www.bco.org.uk 

The Future of BREEAM

Paul Rigby, Project Director
FaulknerBrown Architects & NextGen Northern Committee Member writes...

On a dark wet and windy Manchester evening the BCO NextGen Northern committee welcomed an accomplished panel of speakers their first discussion event. Over 40 guests arrived, in good spirits to hear the speakers' opinions on ‘the future of BREEAM’. Pre-event drinks warmed up our audience as NextGen Chair, Phil Mayall (Muse Developments) invited them to take part in a lively debate.

The presentations were kicked of by a ‘peroni’ clutching Bill Gething from Max Fordham. Bill opened the debate with great vigour selecting examples from his lengthy experience of delivering sustainable architecture. Bill presented a checked history of BREEAM sharing his thoughts on its evolution over the past 20 years, discussing how it had influenced the development of buildings such as BRE HQ, National Trust HQ, Worcester Library and recently the Woodland Trust. Bill concluded that BREEAM has a future but the ‘system’ may need to evolve more rapidly than it has done to date, and react ever more challenging legislative frameworks. He suggested that, as building regulations move towards, Zero Carbon BREEAM would need to refocus its attention to issues of embodied energy and health and wellbeing.

Our next speaker Peter Crowther from Bruntwood, presented the developer's view. Peter gave an honest summary of the difficult issues facing developers as they are challenged to maintain property portfolios and bring developments forward that stay ahead of legislative framework. Presenting Bruntwood's developments of 1 New York Square and Co-op HQ as case studies, Peter suggested that in the Manchester market an improvement in BREEAM "very good" to "excellent" required a rental uplift of £28 per sq ft to £30 per sq ft whilst and "outstanding" mark would need to achieve £33 per sq ft. Whilst green buildings seem to let faster they are yet to achieve a rental uplift or tangible improvement in yield to justify the capital investment when assessed on a purely financial basis. Peter suggested that, this will only change if landlords find ways to bring in ‘Green Leases’.

Next up, Chris Cheap from GVA gave the Agent's opinion, echoing many of the sentiments presented by Peter Crowther. Chris believed that the future would see BREEAM remaining as an important tag for attracting large corporate tenants but that the real issue for the future was turning energy efficiency into tangible rental uplifts. Chris suggested that this maybe possible if the RICS advice, that DECs should influence rentals, is followed and tenants and developers pay more attention to post-occupancy reviews such as BREEAM in use.

Moving on to an analytical and academic stand point Michael Cross from Mott Macdonald, a late stand in for Gordon Hudson, presented, that in the UK, as yet, nobody has presented a paper to suggest that BREEAM achievements relate to rental uplift. This was compared to papers published reviewing, the USA LEED accredited and Australian Green Flag accredited markets. These papers state that higher rated ‘green’ buildings could achive in the region of a 5% rental uplift. Michael suggested that, in the UK, BREEAM needed to go back to its roots and promote the design of high quality spaces by finding ways of improving the influence that the Health and Wellbeing credits have on building design, assuming that a tangible value could be realised on the premise that good environments improve business productivity.

Our final Speaker Alex Solk from Sheppard Robson reviewed his relationship with BREEAM as a tenant advisor. Using the example of the BBC relocation to Media City at Salford Quays, Alex suggested that BREEAM needed to re-focus by promoting healthy productive and space efficient workspaces, offering that energy assessments needed to be more than a cost in use but should reflect the whole life cycle of a building. Alex strongly believed that for a tenant BREEAM is a strong indicator of sustainable design and that assuming it evolved with the times its position as a important ‘kite mark’ would remain well into the future.

Following the presentations a number of interesting questions from the floor challenged the panel. Phil Mayall brought the debate to a close with the conclusion that cost effective environmental design was key to the successful management and development of the property portfolios of the future.

Many thanks are extended to our excellent panel as they helped to make the debate interesting and engaging for all the attendees.

BCO members can view copies of all presentations on the Research Portal.

The Future of BREEAM discussion seminar Monday 20 February 2012 (17.00) City Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester Central

kindly supported by