Ten tips to make your BCO awards entry shine.
Preparing your submission for the 2026 BCO Awards? We’ve put together a crib sheet to help you make your entry the best it can be.
It’s a simple checklist of ten things to keep in mind – from picking the right category and telling the story of your project, to choosing great photos and keeping file sizes under control.
These are all small but important details that can make a real difference to how your entry comes across. You’ll also find a few practical reminders about data, deadlines, and what the judges are really looking for.
Whether you’ve entered before or this is your first time, we hope these tips make the process a little smoother and your project shine even brighter.
===========
Need help with your entry?
Contact CREATEVENTS
Email: clare@createvents.co.uk
Tel: 01183 340085
============
Important dates to note:
==========
2025
5 December Closing date for entries
8 December Regional table sales open
2026
January – February: Regional Judging
15 April: London Awards Lunch |The London Hilton, London
24 April: Scottish Awards Lunch |The Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow
06 May: Northern Awards | Kimpton Clocktower, Manchester
08 May: Midlands & Central England Awards Lunch | The Eastside Rooms, Birmingham
14 May: South of England and South Wales Awards Dinner | We the Curious, Bristol
3 June: National table sales open
June – July: National Judging
October: National Awards Dinner | Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London
=========
BCO NextGen London committee member and portfolio manager at Landsec Chloe Prince is on a mission to open up the world of real estate so that young people don’t miss out on the exciting career opportunities it offers.
Why is she so passionate? Well, because she could have missed out on the opportunity herself. At Prince’s school – like so many – commercial property wasn’t discussed as a career option. The smart kids, of which she was clearly one, became lawyers or doctors.
“Property wasn’t on the agenda,” she says. “To be honest I always thought that property meant estate agent and that was it.”
Now, of course, she knows is wrong. But it took a turn studying French and Spanish and stints living in Paris and Valencia for Prince to find her way to property.
“When I was looking for something to do in Paris, I decided to take an internship. At that point I was desperate and this property management internship came up. I didn’t know much about commercial property but I loved buildings and architecture and they loved that I could speak English. I did lots of translation and a lot of their property management with their English clients. And that’s how I discovered real estate and property surveying.”
The power of determination
The rest is history. Prince came back to the UK with a mission to be a surveyor and get chartered. She finished her degree and started applying for non-cog graduate schemes. There were knock backs, but again that passion kicked in.
“I was so determined,” says Prince. “I was getting into real estate, no matter what. I was going to get chartered so I decided to go slightly through the back door and I applied for a role in Savills residential.”
Prince worked in the firm’s Wandsworth office in an admin role, but used her spare to researching so that when the opportunity to apply for Savills’ graduate scheme came up, she was more prepared than anyone else.
And the rest really is history.
Prince clearly doesn’t want others to have to take such a wiggly path, however, and has been working with her fellow BCO committee members this year to deliver a partnership with charity Bridging Barriers that culminated a real estate insight day on London’s South Bank.
The day, which saw a number of young adults from London communities visit LandSec’s The Forge and Native Land’s Bankside Yards site to learn more about development and the many careers in real estate.
Barriers to entry persist
“One of the key challenges for social mobility for the industry is barriers to entry and awareness,” says Prince. “I’ve spoken to countless young people who have no idea what a surveyor is, so for me, one of the key ambitions for the committee was to increase awareness among young people and for them to really understand what we do. And to understand that there are so many different routes that you can go into property.”
The event was a hit. Pretty much all 15 individuals involved in the day have created connections with members of the BCO committee. Prince has piqued their interest and shown them that there is a way into this industry that doesn’t necessarily have to take you round the houses.
But, while the industry has become more diverse there is clearly more to do. While Prince says that even in the relatively short time she’s been working in the sector, she’s been encouraged by how the narrative around social mobility has changed.
“People often talk about social mobility, DEI, etc. as either a box tick exercise or just something to do as a good thing, which is true, but there’s also a huge amount of value that is brought by it,” says Prince. “We make buildings for people, so our leadership should reflect that. And if you have diverse opinions, your building will only be better.”
“Whenever I talk about this, I just I like to frame it in the sense that it’s just good business to ensure that your employees don’t all look the same, don’t all think the same, don’t all come from the same background,” she adds. “It makes so much sense to have people who have different experiences and may challenge things or look at certain aspects differently. And that’s why social mobility is really important.”
And that’s why listening in and learning from Prince is important too, which you can do in this episode of the Workspace Unwired podcast.
Subscribe to the BCO’s Workspace Unwired podcast on any of your favourite podcast players, including Spotify, Podbean and Apple, to make sure you never miss an episode.
The Western Corridor stepped firmly into the spotlight at our BCO NextGen London & South East Q3 Market Update webinar on 19 November.
Guided by expert insight from JLL’s Vicky Heath and Barrie David, the session, hosted by NextGen London & South East Chair Ella Griffin, offered a welcome dose of clarity about a market in motion: reshaping, recalibrating and, in many places, reinventing itself.
And if one message came through loud and clear, it was this: the Western Corridor is changing fast, and the industry must change with it.
“It’s likely the South East will need less overall space, but more space of a better quality.”
Barrie David, JLL
A market rebalancing, not retreating
Too often the narrative around offices in the post-pandemic world has focused on contraction. But the picture painted by JLL was far more nuanced and far more optimistic.
Take-up across the Western Corridor reached 1.6m sq ft in the first nine months of 2025, putting the market on track to beat its long-term average and even nudge ahead of the 2021 rebound. Reading remains the anchor, responsible for more than a third of all space let this year, while the Thames Valley continues to outperform West London in sheer volume.
But it’s who is taking space that is most interesting. The Western Corridor has always had a distinctive DNA, more tech, more manufacturing, more innovation and 2025 is no exception. TMT and manufacturing led the charge again this year, together accounting for nearly half of all take-up.
Future demand only sharpens this picture. TMT companies, particularly AI-led firms, now make up around 50% of all active enquiries.
People returning, portfolios stabilising
We cannot talk about offices without talking about people. JLL’s Future of Work research shows that the great post-Covid space reduction has slowed dramatically.
In 2023, more than half of companies expected to shrink their footprint. Today, that figure is 29%. Many organisations, it seems, over-corrected during the pandemic and are now readjusting to the realities of hybrid working.
And perhaps most encouragingly, UK workers are coming in to the office. For companies requiring three to four days a week in the office, 77% of employees comply, with another 5% working five days in the office. The office is re-establishing itself as a place of purpose, not presence.
“For the vast majority of employees, office work provides tangible benefits, the office is a mechanism for creating healthy boundaries.”
Vicky Heath, JLL
For our industry, this really matters. It sets the foundation for future demand and reinforces the responsibility we have to create workplaces worthy of people’s time.
Supply shortages and the pressures ahead
While demand stabilises, the supply story is becoming more complex. Just 100,000 sq ft of new and retrofit space will be completed this year, leading to a massive undersupply of that space, much is already pre-let, putting further pressure on availability.
By 2027, the Western Corridor faces a clear shortage of high-quality space, especially as older buildings continue to be lost to residential and, in some cases, logistics and data centre uses. This is a market where the “flight to quality” is no longer a trend, it is a structural reality.
The defining story of the next decade
The Western Corridor has lost around 6m sq ft of office space to alternative use since 2019, and this reshaping is far from finished.
While places such as Oxford, Cambridge and Reading, buoyed by science, technology and strong infrastructure, are forging ahead, attracting investment and commanding rents that support refurbishment and deep retrofits, other locations face tougher choices. Lower-rent markets such as Slough and Staines simply cannot sustain new development with today’s construction costs. Here, repurposing, whether to residential, industrial, or alternative employment uses, may offer the most viable path forward.
Upgrading, repurposing and re-imagining space will define the Western Corridor’s next decade.
But for all the challenges, the Western Corridor remains an extraordinary place of enterprise. It is home to the UK’s greatest concentration of office parks, to world-class global occupiers, and to towns and cities with powerful economic gravity. It is where technology, science, manufacturing and innovation rub shoulders and increasingly, where the future of work is being tested at scale.
But the message from this latest NextGen briefing was unmistakable: what succeeds in the Western Corridor now is high-quality space, amenity, and high-quality thinking. Whether city-centre or campus-style, new-build or retrofit, the best schemes are those centred on people and grounded in place.
The market may need less office space in time, but it will certainly need better space. And that is where the opportunity lies for our industry: to raise our ambitions, to bring imagination to ageing assets, and to build places where businesses and people can thrive.
Watch the webinar on the BCO NextGen YouTube channel
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the regional office market, you’ll know something interesting is happening. In cities like Leeds, Reading and Cardiff, demand for office space is picking up pace, signalling that far from being obsolete, the regional office still has plenty to offer.
In Leeds, Q3 office take-up reached 156,675 sq ft across 33 deals, marking a 7% year-on-year increase. Prime rents are edging up to £46 per sq ft, with new schemes quoting £50. And flexible workspace? That now accounts for 66% of demand in regional markets, up from 54% in 2020.
But there’s a bigger story to tell. This rising demand is doing more than just pushing up rents. Developers and investors are responding by bringing forward new schemes, often as part of mixed-use masterplans that combine workspace with homes, shops, and public realm. And offices are the cornerstone in these wider regeneration projects.
Why? Because they are public-facing symbols of confidence. They attract occupiers, investors, and footfall. Office workers enliven places. They support retail, bring shoppers and diners, and often anchor regeneration, with pre-lets and early leasing activity helping to de-risk and accelerate neighbouring development. In short, offices bring pace, visibility and purpose to regeneration efforts.
Let’s look at some examples of how this is playing out across regional centres, and yes, sorry, not sorry, they’re all BCO award-winning projects.
This Foster + Partners designed building has become a benchmark for how private investment can unlock strategic urban centres. Cardiff’s office market has responded in kind, with annual take-up reaching its highest level since 2017 and headline rents rising to £30 per sq ft.
Eden (pictured), Salford, is part of the city’s £1bn New Bailey masterplan which is delivering more than 1m sq ft of commercial space and more than 1,000 homes. Winning our ESG award, Eden’s green credentials are front and centre, with cutting-edge design and a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. As a result, the building is attracting forward-thinking tenants that care about sustainability.
The building is also giving back to its surroundings in other ways. The building’s ground-floor social hub is now home to Spice & Grind, a locally owned coffee shop, and the development has introduced cycle lanes and a living wall at a nearby primary school. According to the council, Salford is tracking the highest productivity in Greater Manchester with ambitious plans to deliver 40,000 new homes and jobs by 2040. Offices like Eden are helping drive that growth.
In Reading, One Station Hill (pictured, top) has attracted major occupiers like PepsiCo, PwC, and NewFlex, with PepsiCo relocating 650 employees from Whitley to the new building next to the train station. The development is part of an £850m mixed-use scheme that includes 625,000 sq ft of office space and 1,300 homes. Designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ and WELL Platinum ratings, Station Hill is setting new standards for ESG-led commercial development and is expected to set new rental benchmarks in tandem, as Reading continues to see demand from financial, tech and healthcare sectors strengthened by its new connections via the Elizabeth line.
These examples represent a new model. The old Central Business District is gone. Welcome to the MXD, the mixed-used district. Today’s regeneration is multi-use by default, with offices, homes, shops, culture and public realm working together to create ecosystems of growth and community.
Offices are the catalyst for inward investment and a means of achieving a better sense of place and purpose. And it’s a virtuous circle: thriving, connected areas with a strong sense of community and identity attract top-tier occupiers. These occupiers, in turn, reinforce the vibrancy and resilience of the district.
The lesson is clear. Through stakeholder and community engagement, offices can not only reflect a place; they can help define its future.
So don’t just ask what an office is. Ask what it does. It drives regeneration. It builds community. It signals belief and pride of place. And in cities like Sunderland, Salford, Cardiff, and Reading, offices are doing all of that and more.
Samantha McClary is chief executive of the BCO
This article was first featured on Green Street News
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the awards, which celebrate emerging talent, cross-disciplinary innovation and employers committed to creating inclusive, dynamic workplaces across the UK’s office sector.
From pioneering workplace design rooted in neuroscience to championing social value and diversity, this year’s winners exemplify the future of the office sector: collaborative, responsible and innovative.
A growing number of entries focused on carbon-conscious innovation, accessibility and community engagement, reflecting a shift toward values-driven leadership and long-term transformation.
The BCO NextGen Awards are a key initiative of the BCO NextGen committee, which supports professionals aged 35 and under in the commercial property sector. With a focus on mentorship, leadership development and amplifying emerging voices, the committee runs a year-round programme that includes seminars, technical tours and its yearly Ideas Competition.
This year’s awards attracted more than 60 entries, highlighting the growing importance of recognising and encouraging younger professionals in the sector. NextGen members make up approximately 30% of BCO’s total membership, with more than 1,200 members now actively engaged across the UK.
Oliver Hall, national NextGen committee chair, said: “The NextGen Awards is the highlight of a year packed with events designed to educate, elevate and celebrate excellence across our sector. Guided by the BCO’s evolving ‘design, develop and operate’ vision, we’re reshaping how we engage with our members and championing fresh talent. This year has marked a new level of regional collaboration, with standout partnerships like those between the Northern and Scotland committees.”
To mark its tenth anniversary, this year’s event introduced a new award: Outstanding Contribution to BCO NextGen, recognising individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to the NextGen community.
The winner, Mike Burton, director at AECOM, was celebrated for his enduring commitment to mentorship, industry advancement and the empowerment of early-career professionals. His influence extends beyond his role at AECOM, with contributions to key BCO publications such as the Guide to Specification and his recognition as a RIBA Honorary Fellow.
Last night also marked the appointment of Ella Griffin, senior engineer at Unova Consulting, as chair of the BCO NextGen committee for London and the South East. Griffin takes over from Beth Starling, interior designer at WILL+Partners, who played a leading role in scaling up the NextGen involvement in this year’s BCO Conference in Milan.
Starling, outgoing chair of BCO NextGen committee for London, said: “I’m especially proud of how the NextGen committee’s initiatives – like the Ideas Competition and these awards – have empowered young professionals to share bold, human-centred visions for the future of the office. These awards are a powerful reminder that supporting young professionals is about evolution as well as succession. The next generation’s ideas, values, creativity, and understanding of human experience will define the next chapter of our industry. By giving them a platform, the BCO is ensuring the workplace continues to grow in relevance, diversity, and impact.”
“In its tenth anniversary year the NextGen Awards give us a moment to celebrate the many successes of our emerging talent,” said BCO president and director of projects at GPE Helen Hare. “At our annual conference in Milan, I was especially pleased to host our first NextGen dedicated seminar – a thought-provoking session exploring ‘The BCO in 2030’ that brought original perspectives on technology, sustainability, culture and workplace design. The full integration and representation of NextGen is essential to the future success of the BCO, and remains a key focus for us moving forward. I am equally always impressed by the number of collaborative events organised by the Nextgen, which highlight the NextGen committee’s growing role in the BCO and its influence in shaping the future of workspace.”
BCO chief executive Samantha McClary, added: “These awards reflect the soul of the BCO. Our incredible regional and national BCO Awards showcase the best of the buildings that we create, showcasing best-in-class quality, innovation, ESG credentials and now customer experience, while the NextGen Awards celebrate the individuals that hold the future of this wonderful industry in their hands.
“These are group of people who are our industry’s future. And over the last 10 years we’ve created quite the alumni of incredible individuals. So, while our industry may still have some bumpy times ahead, this night – and the decade of nights like this that have preceeded it – leave me with nothing but confidence that the future of the workplace, that our offices and the places around them, will thrive.”
NextGen Rising Star – London and the South East
Lauren Lemcke, senior project surveyor, AECOM
Highly commended: Nathan Shelley, AECOM
NextGen Rising Star – Midlands and East Anglia
Francesca Ghavami-Milnes, associate interior designer, Howells
NextGen Rising Star – Northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland
Archontia Manolakelli, project architect and senior design researcher, AtkinsRéalis
Highly commended: Nicholas Birchall, Hawkins\Brown
NextGen Rising Star – Scotland
Kieran Smart, mechanical engineer, WSP
NextGen Rising Star – South West England and South Wales
Kallum Desai, global ScopeX carbon practice lead, AECOM
Employer of the Year
AECOM
Graduate of the Year
Aleksandar Bajić, Part 2 architectural assistant, Gensler
Impact Award
Joelyn Elias, graduate project manager, AECOM
Highly commended: Francesca Ghavami-Milnes, associate, Howells
Inspirational Leader of the Year
Theodor Bratosin, senior sustainability and building physics engineer, Cundall
Outstanding Contribution to BCO NextGen Award
Mike Burton, director, AECOM
Highly commended: Amy Leech, project director, tp bennett
The BCO is made by its members, so we thought it only appropriate that our annual dinner should become a celebration of you.
So, on 26 February 2026, what was the BCO Annual Dinner, will become the BCO Honours Dinner.
This will be a very special celebration of one individual from among the BCO membership who has given their time, expertise and a whole lot of energy to the organisation and asked for nothing in return. A true unsung hero of the workspace world.
On 26 February we want to bring all of you together so this person can be lifted up and thanked by us here at BCO and by you the members for all that they have done – and continue to do – to make the world of workspace a better, greener, more productive and more inclusive space.
But we need your help. We want your nominations. Who among the more than 4,000 members and the hundreds of committee members that make the BCO tick should take home our first BCO Honours?
The winner will not only take home a unique BCO award, but will be gifted lifetime honorary membership to the BCO. A small token, perhaps, but a huge, huge thank you.
Please fill in this short survey identifying who you think should be the inaugural recipient of the BCO Honours Award and why.
https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8558368/BCO-Honours-Award
Entries will close at 5pm on Monday 15 December.
Nominated individuals will then be judged by the BCO’s presidential team, with the winner announced at our new Honours Dinner, which in its first year will take place at the iconic redevelopment of the Old War Office, Raffles’ The OWO.
Tickets for this very special dinner are limited and can be purchased by clicking here.
For those interested in sponsorship opportunities for this very special event, please contact Victoria Armstrong at Victoria@sasevents.co.uk
BCO North chair Alex Stork and other members of the committee descended on the North East earlier this month for the BCO North x Expo Sunderland: Delivering the Future City 2025 conference.
The two-day event – held at the BCO award-winning City Hall – showcased Sunderland’s ambitious transformation, at the heart of which was its vision to create a central core where people can live, work, and play in a connected and vibrant environment.
The BCO partnered with this year’s Expo Sunderland to explore the future of urban living, working, and placemaking. The focus was firmly on the government’s growth ambitions, housing delivery, planning reform, community building, infrastructure, and the skills needed for our future workforce.
In her keynote speech on day two of the event, BCO chief executive Samantha McClary brought a central BCO aim to the table: that offices must too be seen as critical infrastructure when it comes to building thriving cities.
Workplaces are essential catalysts for urban renewal, said McClary, they drive footfall, encourage local spending, and support the ecosystem of shops, cafés, and amenities that bring cities to life. In short, a strong office presence can boost leisure and retail, creating vibrant, thriving places for all.
McClary further highlighted how modern mixed-use districts (or MXDs) were replacing traditional central business districts. Offices, she said, are not merely buildings but “communities and idea hubs” that must evolve to support living, learning, and collaboration.
Citing new BCO research on post-pandemic office habits, she talked of the steady return to the office, particularly in regional cities like Sunderland. McClary concluded that the most successful workplaces of the future would be those defined by purpose, connection and place, not just design or location.
Repopulating Sunderland
The BCO’s must-see Repopulating the city panel explored how strong partnerships, pride in places, and bold leadership were breathing life back into Sunderland.
The University of Sunderland’s Andrea Walters emphasised the university’s role as a civic anchor an active driver of the city’s social and economic ecosystem.
Through initiatives such as the Hope Street Exchange and community-led innovation schemes, the university connects students with local employers, fosters entrepreneurship, and ensures the city retains the next generation of talent.
“We’re not just shaping futures,” she said, “we’re shaping Sunderland’s future workforce and identity.”
Peter McIntyre of Sunderland City Council reflected on the council’s journey of “bravery and belief”.
For decades, repopulation wasn’t truly on the city’s agenda, but the Riverside Sunderland regeneration project marks a turning point, said McIntyre.
He spoke about rebuilding confidence within the council and across the city, noting the importance of organisational reform and a willingness to take risks.
“Before we could convince others,” said McIntyre, “we had to convince ourselves.”
Riverside now embodies that self-belief. It is a flexible, evolving district that puts people, partnerships and placemaking at its core.
Knight Frank’s Paddy Matheson stressed the need to understand the full spectrum of demand, from multinationals like Ocado to long-standing local firms.
For the market, the aim should be to create a city centre that attracts both new investment and loyalty from existing businesses. He also noted how Sunderland’s office market has risen by more than 30% in five years, showing that ambition, when matched by delivery, can change perceptions and attract high-quality occupiers.
“You can’t just wait for demand to arrive. Sometimes you have to build it and then they will come,” he concluded.
A clear message emerged throughout the discussion that repopulation was about connection as much as construction. The panel called for more collaboration between public, private and civic partners to sustain the city’s momentum, ensuring that Sunderland’s regeneration extended beyond its red lines into the communities that define it.
Bold investment
“To attract occupiers and remain functional, offices and city centres must both deliver accessible, amenity-rich and experiential spaces,” said BCO North chair Stork. “Sunderland City Council has set the bar high with bold investment into its own workspace, a move that signals confidence and sets a standard that we’ve seen in other areas of the city.”
Sunderland’s regeneration delivers a lesson in civic confidence for other places.
The new bridge across the River Wear is more than infrastructure, it’s a continued statement of ambition that connects areas and unlocks development potential.
Upcoming civic projects are the foundation of the city’s ambitions. Culture House, a multi-purpose cultural venue, will be home to the City Library and will be packed with interactive, digital features and a year-round programme of fun things to do, while Crown Works Studios hopes to make north-east England a hub for the film and television industry.
New AI and creative sector initiatives further showcase Sunderland’s intent to position itself as a hub for modern work, innovation, and urban living.
For office occupiers, this signals a city rich in talent, amenity and opportunity that can be tapped into with the best workspaces.
A partnership approach
Sunderland provides a compelling example of how placemaking and office-led regeneration can work hand in hand, delivering both social and economic value.
The city is in the midst of a visible and tangible transformation. Each development, from the new bridge to Culture House, contributes to the story of confidence, reinvention, and connectivity that was on show at Expo Sunderland.
For the office sector, Sunderland illustrates that the future of city centres lies in integrated, people-first urban planning, where offices, homes, culture, and infrastructure combine to create sustainable, vibrant environments.
Sunderland’s story is unfolding rapidly, offering lessons for developers, investors, and planners across the UK. Other towns and cities across the North and wider UK should take note.
Squaredot business design development executive and national chair of the BCO’s mentoring programme Joe Huddleston is passionate about a lot of things, but none more so than his home town of Birmingham and the power of mentoring.
Huddleston has been chair of the mentoring programme, which is now in its sixth year, since 2024, and is on a mission to ensure that everyone with the BCO NextGen cohort – and those not yet signed up – know about the wonderful opportunity on offer.
The opportunity is simple. If you are one of the many hundreds of BCO members that are under the age of 35, you are entitled to free mentoring from one of the 50 mentors within the organisation.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity for the younger generations to get mentored and to join the built environment community and really start contributing to all the good that we’re doing within the industry,” says Huddleston.
For Huddleston, the mentoring programme is one of the BCO’s best kept secrets – although he’s keen to change that. He wants everyone to know that the opportunity is on offer and to showcase the value that mentoring can provide – for all of us.
“We see that the benefit of the mentor programme is for both mentor and mentee,” he says. “There’s a lot that the mentor also gets out of this process. Through trying to articulate how to solve a problem from a mentor’s perspective, they also get insight into how they deliver their own work and articulate themselves and I think it can be quite exposing sometimes.
“We’re always learning and we’re always trying to develop and I think that through trying to articulate the best way to tackle a problem, you also start to tackle some of your own demons.”
Mentoring and being mentored has been a big part of Huddleston’s own career. He’s an asker of questions and likens this to being continually mentored.
“I’ve continually asked questions throughout my career and while I’ve not had a specific mentor, I’ve sidled up to people who I think can help and support me,” says Huddleston. “Typically I’ve sought mentorship from people who have continually pushed and challenged me. Those are the people that I feel I’ll get the most from and the ones that will try and get the most out of me.”
Huddleston’s passion for developing talent in our industry through fostering valuable mentoring relationships, is matched by his love of Birmingham and workplace design.
Born, bred and educated in Birmingham, Huddleston has worked for Aedas, Overbury, Gensler and Modus Workspace before his current role at SquareDot.
“I’m very proud of Birmingham and how it keeps reinventing itself,” says Huddleston. “I think the city really has transformed. I’m proud to see that it has reinvented itself over time and that the central hub has been carefully curated with a wonderful amount of amenity that’s really drawing people to it.”
Listen in to Workspace Unwired: Why Mentoring Matters to hear more from Huddleston on Brum’s powers of reinvention and my mentoring could be your secret weapon to success.
Tune in to a new episode of the BCO’s Workspace Unwired every fortnight. Available on all good podcast players including Apple, Spotify, Amazon and Podbean.
At a recent BCO London Committee seminar hosted at Storey at 100 Liverpool Street, industry leaders gathered to dissect one of the most dynamic themes in commercial real estate: flexibility in office space.
Moderated by BCO chief executive Samantha McClary, the panel featured experts from across the sector—Will Kinnear, director at HEWN, Becky Gardiner, head of Storey and managed workspaces at British Land, Christy Bowen, head of London offices and flex space – value at risk advisory at JLL, and Craig Owen, director of property and workspace at Legal & General—who explored the evolving landscape of flexible workspaces and the implications for occupiers, landlords, and investors.
Unpacking the f-word
With only a handful of attendees confident in defining the difference between flex, co-working, and managed space, Kinnear provided a clear breakdown of the terminology and structure that sit beneath the flex umbrella:
Kinnear highlighted how flex had evolved into a spectrum of workspace options – from traditional leases to fully managed environments – each catering to different occupier needs and investment strategies.
However, while understanding the terminology is clearly important, end user Owen said the most important thing for an occupier was how well the space and the service was managed once you’re there.
What occupiers want
British Land’s Gardiner emphasised that successful flex models started with a clear grasp of what businesses actually want from their space. She explained how flexibility was not a single product but a spectrum of solutions, and that property owners must align operational delivery and amenity with occupiers’ expectations to create environments that truly add value for both sides.
Kinnear argued that amenity alone was no longer enough and that it was service that was now the differentiator. He highlighted the growing importance of hospitality-style operations and event-led programming, noting that while this evolution presented challenges for a traditionally static property sector, it also created opportunities for operators that can deliver meaningful, service-led experiences.
Gardiner agreed, saying that delivering amenities alone wasn’t enough. She said that operational excellence underpinned retention and renewal, and that occupiers were largely willing to pay a premium for that.
She warned, however that there was a ceiling on that price and that if a market emerged were occupiers were unwilling to cover rising service and operational costs, the financial model for fully managed or flex space could face real pressure.
The flex blur
With so many different solutions available for occupiers in the market and service becoming a buzz word across all forms of workspace provision, the panel turned its attention to whether the growing “hotelification” of offices risked diluting the distinct appeal of flex space.
Hewn’s Kinnear suggested that the industry was already moving toward a future where flex would no longer exist as a separate category but would become a standard component of every building – offering a mix of traditional, fitted, managed, and serviced space under one roof. He noted that while major landlords such as British Land and Landsec have successfully brought flex operations in-house, many owners still face challenges in finding the right partnership or operating model.
Gardiner agreed, explaining that British Land’s own portfolio reflected this shift, with occupiers increasingly seeking fully managed, hassle-free solutions – even larger businesses now preferring landlords to handle services traditionally managed in-house.
JLL’s Bowen said the market has already evolved into this spectrum, with what began as a divide between traditional leased and serviced space now merging, with fitted and managed solutions bridging the gap between the two.
From a valuation perspective, Bowen said this merging of traditional, fitted, managed, and serviced space within a single building had made assessing value increasingly complex.
In the past, Cat A space followed a predictable rental pattern, but today, variations in layout, fit-out, and flexibility can create as much as a 50% difference in rental values within the same asset. As landlords layer in more flexible offerings, said Bowen, the risk profile typically increases due to shorter lease terms – but so too does the potential return.
The evolution of how office space is provided is demanding new valuation approaches, said Bowen, as each level of flexibility commands a different balance between risk, yield, and revenue potential.
A flexible future
While the longevity of flex as we know it today was questioned in a market where flexibility is becoming the norm, the panel agreed that what made the sector so compelling was its ability to continually evolve.
Today the market fundamentals for the sector are strong, with occupancy steady at around 95% for leading operators. However, for operators to really deliver sustainable growth, they will have to focus even harder on understanding occupier wants – novelty amenity might turn heads but it won’t deliver loyalty – and will need a much clearer and reliable dataset on supply and demand.
The flex market today is unlikely to be the flex market of tomorrow. It is likely to consolidate, with smaller, less-resourced operators exiting, while those that combine hospitality, community, and operational excellence will flourish.
But ultimately, flex is here to stay. It’s not just a trend, said our panel, it’s an operational philosophy.
Five key takeaways:
With thanks to British Land for kindly sponsoring this event.
In today’s evolving work culture, the conversation around disability inclusion is gaining long-overdue momentum – but more action, education and understanding is needed.
That’s why the BCO NextGen London & South East committee gathered a panel of experts at Arup’s 80 Charlotte Street offices in London to dive deeper into how we need to ensure we are creating workspaces that are inclusive and accessible for all.
The panel, chaired by James Taylor, co-founder of MotionSpot, brought together Frankie Pringle, architect and founder of Studio Pringle, Mei-Yee Man Oram, associate director and global accessibility and inclusion lead at Arup, and Jennie Berry, disabled content creator and educator and business engagement lead at Sociability, who each offered a compelling look at how inclusive design can and must go beyond compliance to create truly equitable workplaces.
One of the most powerful themes to emerge was the need to move beyond regulatory checklists. As Berry pointed out: “I’m not sat outside a building with a protractor measuring ramp gradients. I just need to know if I can get in and have the same experience as everyone else.”
This sentiment was echoed by Pringle, who emphasised that many buildings still fail to meet even the minimum standards of Part M of the UK Building Regulations.
“Sometimes we don’t even tick the boxes,’ she said, highlighting a widespread lack of awareness and accountability in retrofit projects. She called on the audience to stop using accessibility statements as a get around.
While it is clear that inclusive design is a moral and social responsibility, the panel also stressed its business value.
Accessible workplaces attract and retain diverse talent, foster innovation, and reflect positively on company culture.
Berry shared her own experience of struggling to find employers who provided accessibility information during the recruitment process. “It’s no use going through the whole process only to find I can’t access the interview room,” she said.
This lack of transparency not only deters disabled candidates but also signals a broader cultural gap.
As Taylor noted: “We’re not just talking about ramps and lifts—we’re talking about dignity, autonomy, and belonging.”
The role of technology
Technology is playing a transformative role in inclusive design. From smart sensors that monitor lighting and noise levels to customisable room booking systems, digital tools are enabling more responsive and adaptable environments.
Oram described how Arup uses data to help employees choose workspaces that suit their needs on any given day, whether due to neurodivergence, migraines, or menopause symptoms.
Sociability’s platform, Berry added, empowers users to filter spaces based on specific access needs, reclaiming agency in a world that often tells disabled people where they can and cannot go.
The discussion also shed light on the often-overlooked reality of hidden disabilities. Pringle, who lives with a paralysed vocal cord, described the frustration of not being heard in noisy office environments.
The solution? Choice.
Providing a variety of settings – quiet zones, acoustically treated rooms, and flexible layouts – ensures that everyone, regardless of their needs, can find a space that works for them.
Lived experienced matters
A recurring message was the importance of embedding inclusive design from the earliest stages of a project. Oram emphasised that inclusion should be part of the brief, not an afterthought. This includes considering travel routes, safety, and engagement with end users, especially those with lived experience.
Berry was unequivocal: “It has to be led by lived experience. Not just one disabled person, but a whole host of voices.”
She also encouraged following disabled creators online to build awareness and empathy beyond the workplace. (You can follow Jennie on Instagram at wheelie_good_life).
While there is still so much to be done to create truly accessible and inclusive places, the panel remained largely optimistic.
“We are seeing a shift,” said Berry. “People are realising that inclusive design doesn’t have to be expensive. Sometimes it’s as simple as better signage or clearer communication.’
The message is clear. Inclusive design benefits everyone. And with the right mindset, tools, and leadership, we can build workplaces that truly work for all.
March 11, 2026 
By BCO Media 