BCO Archives - Facilities Management Forum | Forum Events Ltd
Posts Tagged :

BCO

Key challenges for Net Zero offices laid out in BCO report
By:

Delivering Net Zero Carbon in the Workplace, produced by University College London Consultants (UCLC) for the British Council for Offices (BCO), identifies the barriers that businesses are facing as they strive to drastically reduce their workplace carbon footprint.

The report, informed by over 100 office occupiers and building professionals, outlines the measures that can be taken to overcome these barriers – at low or zero cost. These include:

  • Greener and longer leases, with office occupiers having more say over refurbishments
  • Greater collaboration and data sharing between building owners and occupiers
  • Submetering and the use of sensors to measure exactly where energy is used
  • Use of pre-fabricated, re-used and recycled materials and furniture

Clearly, achieving net zero carbon emissions is a major component of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies in the commercial real estate sector, driven by a growing expectation from businesses, their customers and ultimately the public, to respond to the effects of climate change. The current energy crisis that began in 2022 is also focusing minds and investment on improving energy efficiency.

Yet improving the energy performance of offices is challenging, particularly as 50% of the office building stock in the UK is tenanted – meaning there is little consistency even within single buildings as to how workspaces are designed and used. Only 12% of building professionals and office occupiers consulted for the BCO’s report believe that operational carbon targets are currently being achieved by those involved in designing and developing office buildings.

The reports says that for the office sector to move from ambition to tangible action, there is an urgent need for robust benchmarks and verifiable data, as well as government requirements and incentives to support businesses’ ESG objectives and facilitate the transition to net zero.

The relationship between building owner and occupier is an essential factor in energy management. Tailoring lease agreements to promote lower energy use and carbon emissions, known as ‘green leases’, would be a potential solution to reaching net zero targets collaboratively.

Currently, it is difficult for occupiers to measure their carbon emissions accurately because targets for energy use intensity do not differentiate between different types of office. In addition, dysfunctional metering strategies do not allow for a breakdown of energy use between communal and occupier areas.

Energy wasted through under-utilisation of office space since the COVID-19 pandemic, as shown in the BCO’s recent The Future of Office Densities report, remains a concern that can be alleviated through using smart sensors and responding to demand.

Retrofit is an increasingly popular approach among developers but the works involved make it highly disruptive to any existing occupiers of a building. Careful phasing and use of prefabricated components can mitigate disruption on site – and contribute to a circular economy if designed for disassembly in the future.

The report says it is vital to assess carbon emissions associated with the complete lifecycle of a building in order to strike the right balance between operational carbon[1] and embodied carbon[2] when refurbishing buildings. A clearly defined division of funding responsibility for net zero improvements is also needed to avoid any doubt, or dispute, between building owners and occupiers.

A key issue to address is ‘Category A’ interior fit-outs (which comprise lighting and basic finishes such as flooring) being installed by the building owner and then discarded by the incoming occupier, in favour of their own bespoke fit-out.

The BCO says most office spaces would benefit from ‘Cat A+’ (plug and play) fitouts for shorter and more flexible tenancies in light of the market trends seen since the COVID19 pandemic. Prioritising locally-sourced materials with lower embodied carbon and using recycled, reused and further recyclable furniture can also support more environmentally friendly fit-outs.

Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO, said: “The office sector has a significant contribution to make to the UK’s net zero transition. There is a clear desire from those involved in creating and occupying workspace to hit ambitious targets, but we need to see evidence of innovation and improvement which demonstrate meaningful progress.”

Dr Esfandiar Burman, Associate Professor at UCL’s faculty of the Built Environment and author of the report, said: “This report shows that greater energy and carbon accountability and more effective ESG frameworks can be achieved through greater collaboration between building owners and occupiers, along with data sharing and greater transparency.”

BCO reveals the UK’s best office workplaces
By:

The British Council for Offices (BCO) National Awards winners have been revealed, with Bloomberg’s London HQ scooping both the ‘Best of the Best’ and ‘Corporate Workplace’ awards.

The office was joined by five other award winners recognised for excellence in office space, with the National Awards programme recognising top quality office design and functionality – something that’s integral to the great work carried out FMs and industry suppliers across the country.

The full list of winners is: 

  • ‘Best of the Best’ and ‘Corporate Workplace’: Bloomberg, London
  • ‘Commercial Workplace’: Number One Kirkstall Forge, Leeds
  • ‘Refurbished/ Recycled Workplace’: Here East, London
  • ‘Innovation’: White Collar Factory, London
  • ‘Fit Out of Workplace’: Registers of Scotland – SVP Platform, Glasgow
  • ‘Projects up to 1,500’: Albert Works, Sheffield

Here’s how the BCO’s judges described each of the category winners and the reasons they came out on top:

Bloomberg, located in the heart of the City of London, consolidates the company’s workforce of 4,000 into a new European headquarters for the first time. The BCO judging panel described it as one of the most significant office developments in recent times, and an ‘exceptional’ workplace for its occupants. They agreed that Bloomberg is an exemplar of sustainability and wellbeing: having achieved the highest BREEAM score of any building to date. The judges also were impressed by the building’s striking central spiral ramp, designed to promote collaboration and communication among its staff.

Number One Kirkstall Forge is the first commercial building within Kirkstall Forge, the regeneration of one of the UK’s oldest continually industrialised sites, which will ultimately be transformed into a mixed-used community with a potential for up to 1,000 homes and a total of 300,000 sq.ft. of office space and supporting amenities. The judges praised Number One Kirkstall Forge for delivering a truly unique workplace environment, which subtly reinterprets the site’s wooded riverside setting whilst setting a high standard of contemporary workplace design.

Here East now provides London with a new tech campus comprising 1.2M sq.ft. of office space for a wide range of tenants and start-up companies. The judges noted the clever architectural interventions, which have transformed the building from a two-storey shed with blank, solid facades to an office with a “dazzling” patterned exterior. The panel describe Here East as a benchmark for tech hubs around the world, as well as a major contributor to the ongoing regeneration of its locale.

The 39,285 sqm White Collar Factory, located on Old Street’s ‘Silicon Roundabout’, was lauded by the judges for its ingenuity, creativity and boldness. Notable features of this workplace include a landscaped roof terrace and an elevated running track, both of which have proved popular with tenants. The judging panel commented that the standard set by White Collar factory goes far beyond those of a usual commercial office development and, in their view, will continue to set a high benchmark in innovation for many years to come.

Registers of Scotland – SVP Platform was designed and delivered as a new smart working environment to support the organisation’s digital transformation programme, relocating staff from their previous Glasgow and Edinburgh offices. The BCO judging panel described the project as a great example of the public sector leading the way in the delivery of excellence in offices. They praised those involved in the project for their seamless and enthusiastic collaboration, which has ultimately lead to the delivery of an excellent working environment for the Registers of Scotland workforce.

Albert Works, is a recently completed workplace converted from disused, and previously dilapidated, traditional red-brick industrial warehouses. It is the first phase of a larger £10million ‘Alsop’s Field’ regeneration project in the heart of Sheffield’s Cultural Industry Quarter (CIQ) conservation area. The BCO judges praised the sensitivity and quality of both the restoration of the brick warehouse and the seamless integration of the newer intervention, describing the main external façade as boldly different, yet delicate and sympathetic to the building’s historic industrial context.

Nigel Clark, Chair of the BCO National Judging Panel, said: “Each year, the buildings considered by the BCO Awards judging panel are of an incredibly high standard, representing the very best of the UK office sector. This year’s entrants are no exception, including developments within high profile regeneration projects, prominent new headquarters and innovative refurbishments. The ‘Best of the Best’ winner, Bloomberg, goes beyond best practice – it has delivered something truly exceptional in the heart of London, and has reset the benchmark for corporate headquarter buildings.

Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO, added: “This year’s BCO National Awards nominees have variously displayed considered placemaking, innovative design and a commitment to sustainability and wellbeing. The common factors between them all, and for the winners in particular, were the sheer quality of the workplaces, along with the commitment and ambition of all parties involved in the development. Congratulations to all nominees, our highly commended entrants and, of course, the award winners themselves”.

For more information about the awards and the winners this year visit the BCO website (www.bco.org.uk).