Today, BCO announces the results of our photography competition held during last month’s 2024 BCO Conference.

Warmest congratulations to Stacey Henshaw from Shaw Studios who won 1st Place with her photo in the City of Contrasts category: Birmingham Townhall.

The judges were unanimous in their praise for the composition of this standout photo capturing old and new in the fast-changing city of Birmingham. As the highest-scoring photo for visual impact and adherence to the theme, ‘city of contrasts,’ the judges thought that it was the most deserving winner and met the brief brilliantly by capturing three contrasting facades intersecting in one, striking shot.

Congratulations also to the runner up, Sandeep Shambi from Howells who scored highly with his photo of Digbeth. The intricate texture of the bricks adds depth and character, creating a compelling visual narrative of vibrancy, creativity and industrial heritage landscape of Digbeth in Birmingham.

Congratulations to Stacey Henshaw, grand prize winner of £1000.

Joe Wilson’s shot of The Ringway Centre (Architect: James Roberts, 1962) was highly commended.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit an entry. This year saw some outstanding efforts aligned with the brief and the ‘Creating Vibrancy’ theme of the conference. Not only did they capture the spirit of vibrancy (a tall order in the weather we had!) but some of the entrants went above and beyond to frame ‘Community’ and the ‘City of Contrasts’ from their unique perspectives.

 Northern Ireland’s Farrans Construction completed the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ building, which is part of the broader City Quays regeneration scheme – a £275 million, office-led project located on former docklands within Belfast city centre.

 The three new City Quays buildings represent Belfast Harbour’s response to ongoing demand by inward investors and local firms for new Grade A office space in Belfast.

 City Quays 3 is now home to global blue-chip businesses and local companies, which have access to collaboration and client interface spaces, plus on-floor terrace areas.

 The BCO Northern Ireland Talk & Tour was hosted by Tim Boyle, Development Manager for Belfast Harbour, alongside Harry McConnell, Director of RPP Architects.

 Following a welcome by Ruairi Dempsey, MEP director for HDR and BCO Northern Ireland Committee chairperson, Tim and Harry offered guests an in-depth look at the building, including its design features and sustainability credentials.

 Attendees were then given guided tours of spaces occupied by two high-profile companies: global bank, Investec and life sciences company, B-Secur.

 The tour showcased the fit-outs and high specification finishes that capture the corporate identity of each tenant, with guests enjoying the magnificent views of Belfast’s key landmarks both within the city and surrounding area.

 Ruairi Dempsey, BCO Northern Ireland Committee chairperson, commented: “In the wake of the emergence of a functioning executive in Stormont, the commercial office market in Northern Ireland continues to develop and offer best-in-class office spaces, which can be seen in the quality of development and fit-out demonstrated in City Quays 3.

 “Northern Ireland requires a nuanced and unique approach to development, and the strong leadership clearly demonstrated by Belfast Harbour, coupled with the intimate local knowledge of their team is showing others the way forward.

 “Developing dynamic and resilient businesses coupled with attracting and retaining global players to our shores is a key aspiration in our development as an economy. Providing employers and organisations with high performing, low-energy and sustainable Grade A workplaces, whether through new development or retrofit of existing buildings, is a key part of this aspiration.”

 Tim Boyle added: “We’d like to thank all attendees for joining us on tour of City Quays 3, a flagship development at the heart of Belfast Harbour’s regeneration into a place where global companies can call home.

 “The fact that City Quays 3 is over 50% let – well above market norms – demonstrates the continued relevance of commercial space of this kind to local and FDI occupiers. We invite prospective occupiers to contact us for more information.

 “Many thanks to our hosts, Investec and B-Secur, as well as Rhianna Harrup from the BCO events teams for her support in arranging the tour and on the day.”

 The BCO Northern Ireland Talk & Tour event was sponsored by Belfast Harbour Commissioners and RPP Architects Ltd.

 The next BCO Northern Ireland event is a NextGen quiz to be held in the Gallagher Lounge (above the Duke of York pub) in Belfast on 30 May 2024, in partnership with RICS. Although focused on bringing together the next generation of leaders, innovators, experts and industry leaders, it is open to all. The committee and local membership would very much like to welcome you there.

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

The BCO Annual Conference provides a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your peers old and new, and expand your professional network. We have a busy three days lined up, but there will also be plenty of opportunities to socialise, relax and enjoy Birmingham.

Make sure you’ve checked off your ‘To Do’ list:

• Secured your ticket.
• Found somewhere to stay with our preferential room rates.
• Booked your transportation (for information on greener travel choices, see page 59 of the conference brochure)
• Registered for your chosen tours and seminars.
• Referred to the delegate list to see who’ll be joining you.
• Explored the official conference charity page.
• NextGen member? Take a look at our supplementary NextGen programme.
• If you have already booked your ticket, but are yet to decide on your personalised conference agenda, we encourage you to do so soon. Simply log in to the booking system and select ‘Edit Registration’. 

What are you hoping to get out of the BCO Annual Conference 2024? Join the conversation online using #BCOconference #Birmingham2024

In this blog, David Porter – Head of the Manchester Commercial Office for Knight Frank and Vice Chair of British Council for Offices in the North – offers the lowdown on the region’s thriving office market.

2023: a mixed bag

According to Knight Frank’s UK Cities 2024, different factors, including economic difficulties, high costs, and conflict overseas, challenged office market activity in 2023. The result was a broad decline in office take-up, with investment volumes falling below average.

However, looking at the North on a city-by-city basis, there were some significant stand-outs last year:

• Despite the second half of the year showing improvement, office take-up in Manchester fell short of the 1m sq. ft. mark, finishing at 942,000 sq ft. – which is 14% below the five-year annual average. Manchester saw 221 deals completed against an average of 213; above the five-year average.
• Compare this to Leeds, which experienced strong occupier demand in 2023, with the city registering the highest level of annual take-up in four years. A total of 651,461 sq. ft. was acquired, 10% above the five-year annual average and a 9% year-on-year increase. The number of deals rose slightly from the previous year: 127 completed, which was 17% above the five-year annual average.
• In Sheffield, occupier activity increased in 2023, with take-up of 374,120 sq ft. – a 21% increase on the previous year that was 6% above the 10-year annual average. Despite above average levels of take-up, just 40% was for grade A space, owing to the lack of suitable space available in the city.

So, while the overall outlook for the UK in 2023 wasn’t exceptional, there was definite cause for optimism, especially in the North – a huge growth area for commercial development.

It’s now time to turn our attention to this year, and look forward to a successful year for the office market.

What’s in store for 2024?

Businesses will continue to look through a ‘green lens’ when it comes to achieving environmental goals through their investment in commercial spaces.

ESG standards, including energy-efficient upgrades and green certifications, are vital for investors, occupiers and lenders. But according to Knight Frank’s latest research, approximately 79% of office spaces in the UK fall short of an EPC B rating, requiring upgrade work to avoid depreciation or obsolescence.

Wondering where to stay? Take advantage of our special room rates

If you haven’t yet booked your accommodation, we have reserved a limited number of rooms at preferential rates. Take a look at the varied options and secure your room directly with the hotel of your choice by quoting the promotional code or using the booking link listed on our website. The availability of rooms with preferential rates will be limited from March onwards. We therefore recommend that you make your reservations at the earliest opportunity. 

Rick Lee is the NW&Y retrofit leader for Arup, and he will be sharing his experience of delivering the challenging refurbishment of the Grade I listed York Guildhall complex. Rick will cover the history of the site, the challenges the client, consultant and contractor teams overcame to secure the next stage of this iconic building.

Rick is a structural engineer who specialises in retrofit and heritage projects and led the Arup team civil and structural team for over 7 years on the York Guildhall refurbishment.

We are pleased to see that delegates have been quick to secure tickets now that bookings for the 2024 Annual Conference have opened to both BCO members and non-members. If you are planning on joining us in Bimingham this year, we strongly encourage you to book sooner rather than later.

Friday, 8 March 2024

12 pm – 3 pm
The Guildhall, York