New chair appointed to BCO research committee

Frances Brown, partner at Cundall, has been appointed as the new chair of the BCO’s research committee. She takes over the position from Rob Harris, principal at Ramidus Consulting. Harris had been chair of the committee since 2021 and stepped down last year.

Brown, who has been an active member of the BCO for several years, will be supported on the committee by vice chair Benjamin Koslowski, research lead at Fletcher Priest Architects, and BCO director of research Eric Chong.

“Over my last couple of years on the research committee I have learned a great deal from Rob Harris and I am looking forward to taking over the role of chair,” said Brown. “Having held several roles at the BCO and also having been a member for many years, I am hoping to bring the members’ perspective to our research agenda, not just in our choice of subjects but also in how we communicate with a wide audience and coordinate with the other expert committees.”

She added: “This is a great opportunity to bring my enthusiasm for great offices and the wider office market to the committee for the benefit of the members.”

Recent research publications from the BCO include A review of post-pandemic office utilisation, Redefining the Market: Beyond Grade A, which proposes a new grading system for office space and is currently out for consultation with members and the wider market, the BCO Sustainability Casebook, and Viability and Sustainability in the Regions, which seeks to understand why cities outside the Big Six are underperforming when it comes to the provision of sustainable buildings.

Two more research papers are scheduled to be published within the next few months, including a report looking at the importance and value of placemaking and third spaces and some compelling research about indoor air quality.

You can access all of the BCO’s research here.

The committee is also keen to hear from members about subjects they would like to see included on the BCO’s research calendar. Drop your ideas and thoughts on an email to mail@bco.org.uk

The BCO’s research committee comprises eight members and is currently on the lookout for more, committed experts to help drive our educational agenda forwards.

The full committee is as follows:

• Frances Brown, Cundall (chair)
• Benjamin Koslowski, Fletcher Priest Architects (vice chair)
• Derek Clements-Croome, Reading University
• Steven Lang, Savills
• Nigel Miller, Cordless
• Ben Simpson, M3 Consulting
• Asif Din, Perkins + Will
• Christopher Blust, AKT II
• Eric Chong, BCO

If you’re interested in joining the research committee or have an idea around subjects you’d like to see tackled, please email us at mail@bco.org.uk