From building his business from scratch to advising clients across London, Crosbie shares candid insights into what today’s organisations really want from their workplaces and why.

The conversation highlights a clear shift in how office decisions are made, with C-suite leaders now more directly involved in shaping spaces that drive productivity, attract talent and reflect company culture. As hybrid working continues to evolve, Crosby explains why the traditional open-plan office is being rethought in favour of more flexible, human-focused environments.

Ultimately, this episode paints a picture of an industry adapting quickly, where experience, design and service matter more than ever in creating workplaces people genuinely want to return to.

Listen in for key insights on why:

• The occupier is firmly in control: Decision-making has shifted to the C-suite, with a sharp focus on productivity, culture and employee experience.

• Workplace design is becoming more human: There’s a growing demand for quieter, more flexible environments alongside collaborative space.
• Service and experience now rival location: Inspired by serviced offices, occupiers expect higher-quality, hospitality-style environments across all building types.

Enjoy!

Drawing on insights from reviewing more than 100 buildings across the UK during her four years on the BCO national judging panel, Gillen shares a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on how offices are evolving in a post-pandemic world.

The conversation explores a major shift in thinking, from inward-looking buildings designed purely for occupiers, to places that actively contribute to their communities, economies and environments.

Gillen highlights the growing importance of retrofit and reuse, the rise of human-centred design that caters to diverse working styles, and the increasing role of workspace as a catalyst for innovation and regeneration beyond London.

She also shares insights on why location and placemaking are more critical than ever, how the industry is responding to sustainability challenges, and why the BCO Awards process provides unmatched real-world insight by focusing on buildings that are already in use.

While Gillen offers some invaluable guidance for future award entrants on how to make their submission and show-and-tell shine for judges, what this episode is really is, is a call to action. A call to design workplaces with purpose, responsibility and long-term impact in mind and to rethink what value truly means in the built environment.

Listen in for key insights on why:

• Great workplaces go beyond the building: The best projects actively shape their communities, supporting regeneration, social value and economic growth.
• Reuse, retrofit and sustainability are central to delivering excellence: Retaining existing structures and reducing carbon is no longer optional—it’s becoming the industry norm.
• Designing for people means designing for everyone: Successful workspaces balance collaboration, wellbeing and focus, recognising the diverse needs of users.

Find out more about the BCO Awards at https://www.bco.org.uk/events/awards

Fielding, a former planning lawyer, managing partner and now coach, reflects on her experience as a trans woman and what she describes as becoming a “reluctant activist” in response to increasingly polarised public debate.

The conversation explores the complexity of current discussions around gender, legal guidance and workplace inclusion, particularly in relation to the built environment.

Rather than fuelling division, Fielding argues for a more thoughtful, balanced and human-centred approach—one that starts with dignity, listening and practical problem-solving.

Together, the pair discuss how designers, developers and operators can create workplaces that offer choice, comfort and safety for all, without humiliating or excluding anyone.

Fielding is also a board member for Freehold, the property industry’s LGBT+ network, so utilises this episode – with the full endorsement of the BCO – to shout out the work Freehold is doing to make the property sector more inclusive.

This episode isn’t really about workspace, it’s about being more compassionate in everything that we do. And, if we bring that inclusive thinking into our design, development and operation of workspaces, we’ll ultimately deliver space that works for everyone.

Listen in if you want:

• A thoughtful, human-centred perspective on inclusion The episode cuts through noise and polarisation to focus on dignity, empathy and practical inclusion.
• To learn how to connect social inclusion to workplace and design decisions Listeners will hear useful ideas about how offices and shared spaces can better support everyone.
• Valuable sector insight from an experienced voice Fielding brings legal, leadership and lived experience, alongside insight into Freehold’s work in the property industry.

Enjoy!

Drawing on decades of experience in engineering, property and sustainability, the conversation looks at why engineers must act as the bridge between climate science and real-world action, and why retrofit, reuse and circular thinking are becoming essential rather than optional.

Through practical examples, including the reuse of structural steel and creative ways to unlock more space within existing buildings, the Gary and Georgia explain how low-carbon solutions can also deliver commercial value, resilience and stronger stories for occupiers and investors.

The discussion also tackles the need for braver leadership, better education across the profession, and a policy environment that supports refurbishment-first thinking.

This is a conversation about courage, curiosity and responsibility, about how the built environment sector can challenge old assumptions, make smarter use of what already exists, and create workplaces that are not only lower impact, but more human, characterful and fit for the future.

Listen in for key takeaways on:

• Why engineers are the crucial link between climate science, policy and practical delivery in the built environment.
• How retrofit, reuse and circular economy thinking can cut carbon, reduce waste and still create commercial value.
• Why courage, education and better storytelling are essential to help clients, policymakers and the wider industry embrace change.

After gaining foundational experience in real estate at Savills and Blackstone, where he honed a rigorous approach to detail and execution, he moved into the flexible workspace sector with Convene, bringing a hospitality-led model to London.

Sparsis now leads Together, a business designed around large-scale meeting and event spaces that blend real estate fundamentals with high-quality hospitality. He argues that post-COVID, companies are increasingly outsourcing large gathering spaces due to inefficiency and cost, creating demand for specialist venues. Together, he says, differentiates itself by delivering highly flexible, client-tailored environments with in-house services, prioritising authenticity, seamless experience, and human comfort.

A key philosophy for Sparsis and the Together team is that “connection is infrastructure". He believes that as digital and AI-driven interactions increase, the value of physical, in-person experiences will also rise. And it this growing need for human connection, that he believes will see his Together business thrive.

Listen in for more on:

• Why physical space where human interactions are enabled is rising in value
• Why hospitality and real estate is the future and why the two need to be perfectly aligned
• Why attention to detail is key in driving excellence in customer experience

Enjoy!

De Metz is co-founder of dMFK, an architectural practice he founded with university friends Paul Forbes and Ben Knight, and is incredibly passionate about creating human-centred workspaces, that have culture at their heart.

Bringing existing buildings back to life, working hard to find solutions, and putting real life interaction ahead of digital distraction are key to his work.

Recorded less than 24 hours after GPE’s 170 Piccadilly scheme, a retrofit project worked on by dMFK, picked up the BCO London Award for Best Project up to 2,500m2, de Metz uses the building as an example of how sensitive design can reconcile heritage buildings with modern performance, creating spaces that feel uplifting, functional, and market‑appropriate.

Listen in as the pair discuss design as the primary differentiator when it comes to quality workspaces, how the purpose of our offices is to build culture and why we need to work harder to unlock the untapped potential in our existing buildings.

All that plus, how we balance standards and guidance with the need to encourage a more values‑led design focus and why, ultimately, if we want to deliver workspaces that work for human beings, we need to unwire ourselves from excessive digital dependency and re‑embrace physical, human interaction as the true purpose of workplace design.

Enjoy.

Starting at Centre City, Bruntwood’s redevelopment of a Brutalist beast close to New Street station, the pair pound the streets of Birmingham visiting a handful of buildings from the traditional to the modern. Along the way Ali shares the Bruntwood story, unpacks the challenges and the opportunities facing Birmingham and talks candidly about the market and the firm’s own needs to pivot in times of uncertainty.

Recorded live and on the go, this recording has background noises and will transport you from building to building with cut aways and jumps, but it is also full of the life and character of a bustling city. And, I guarantee that you won’t be able to help yourself being drawn in by Ali’s infectious passion for Birmingham and the assets he looks after in the city.

Be bold, be Birmingham, be Bruntwood?

Enjoy.

While both Mill Yard and Botanic Place offer plenty of workspace, like all careful development today, both also focus heavily on creating place. An office development today has to offer more than just a place to work. It needs to be a place to thrive, a place to feel alive, to be inspired, and, say the pair, a place where you can – and should – have a little fun.

The importance of the impact that places we build have on society runs deep through both Socius and Railpen. As a B Corp, how the Socius business impacts on society and the planet is written into its Articles of Association, and as a £35bn pension fund dedicated to railway workers, Railpen has to make sure that its assets can continue to create value for its 350,000 members.

Listen in as the trio, fuelled by Percy Pigs, explore how occupier expectations are shifting, why amenity now extends far beyond the building’s walls, what it really takes to create workplaces that act as magnets not mandates, and how both Mill Yard and Botanic Place are intentionally prioritising community integration, local operators, flexibility and wellbeing to ensure they deliver successful new places within Cambridge.

Enjoy.

Over the course of this 40 minute conversation, recorded on location in London’s Paddington, Dumas shares how what began as an attempt to establish a distributed food production network across London's rooftops has evolved into a human‑centred, experiential amenity that brings people back into workplaces—not for desks, but for shared experiences, health, and purpose.

While the farms may have started as a way to help businesses deliver on the E of their ESG strategies, Dumas says the S has become the company’s most powerful impact area. Farms attract interaction across hierarchies, while school visits, nutrition workshops, and regular harvest donations to food banks expand businesses into the local community.

Listen in to find out more about how the farms work, why big businesses like British Land, Vodafone and GSK are leaning and why Dumas has an ambition to become the largest farm in Europe, based entirely in London, that sells no food. And, of course, why he wants designers and developers to integrate farms as a standard amenity in our workplaces.

Enjoy.

Bebb shares insights from his extensive career in construction law about how to limit the risks of insolvency somewhere in the supply chain.

Insolvency remains a real threat in today’s environment. Construction is still the most “critically distressed” industry in the UK, according to Begbies Traynor’s latest Red Flag Alert, with real estate and property services showing a 23.5% increase in significant financial distress in the final quarter of 2025.

It is a tough world out there, but if you’re keen to know what to do pre-, during and post- project to ensure you mitigate the risks of insolvency, then this is the podcast for you.

Listen in as Bebb shares invaluable advice on how to protect yourself against one of the parties in your supply chain going bust, what signs to look out for to give you an early warning advantage of when a party may be in trouble and what to do and what not to do to keep your project on track.

Invaluable advice for free. What’s not to love?

Enjoy.

This fascinating conversation covers everything from toilets to civic rights for all living creatures and why delivering buildings that are “less bad” for the environment just isn’t good enough anymore.

Listen in for useful examples of great practice and a lesson on how regenerative design has to become the new normal if we are really serious about protecting our planet.

Enjoy.

It is a project that underscores the importance of workspace in creating place, says Flood, with offices bringing people, industry and income to a part of London that is lacking the appropriate office stock.

Residential, student and retail play a major part in the development, but with sustainability and placemaking at the heart of what Related Argent is trying to deliver at the site, offices are essential.

Listen in as Flood explains the purpose behind the project and why we all need to get better at showcasing our workspaces as vital infrastructure to drive growth and to deliver places where people want to be.

EdCity, winner of the corporate workspace at the BCO London Awards in 2025, is the HQ of Ark, but so much more. It is the heart of a new community in White City and a building that seeks to deliver social value alongside commercial value.

It is an office building that seeks to offer a “warm embrace” to anyone and everyone in the area, throwing open its doors to local residents, kids, care workers, and more while also delivering a corporate workspace fit for any business, big or small.

Is EdCity the blueprint for deliverable social purpose? Listen in to find out.

Javaid shares his story of setting up Muslims in Real Estate, a network born out of the lack of Muslim representation in the real estate sector but that has grown into being an enabler of true inclusivity in the places and spaces we deliver.

He shares his ambitions on how he wants to make sure MiRE to has a place at the table, so it can bring about tangible change in the industry and showcase how brilliant real estate can be when it has brilliant people in it and – spoiler alert – how you can find those brilliant people when you become a more inclusive, diverse and equitable sector.

It is a fascinating listen that will almost certainly inspire you to think about the important role our spaces should and can play in driving inclusivity.

If you'd like to find out more about Muslims in Real Estate, connect with the group on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/muslims-in-real-estate/

Bourgeois also shares his love for leadership and how a background in retail gave him the perfect grounding for a new career in place, which is - as we all know - what real estate is really all about.

All that and so much more in your latest episode of Workspace Unwired.

Listen in as Boyce shares the journey from consultant to client, the challenges that come from wanting to deliver the best that you can on a not unlimited budget, and how walking a mile in someone else’s shoes really is the best education you’ll ever get.

All that and so much more.

Enjoy.

Over the course of this 30 minute conversation, Prince shares her unconventional route into property, her passion for openness and understanding and the work she has been doing through the BCO NextGen committee with charity Bridging Barriers to showcase the real estate sector to a much broader spectrum of potential new talent.

It is clear that Prince is on a mission to make real estate and the workplace environment more diverse, inclusive and, quite frankly, just better.

Your job is to listen in to this great conversation and join her on the journey.

Enjoy.

The pair talk about the importance of human-centric design, the power of partnership and why we should all be seeking enlightenment.

Succession’s Brian Cox might make an appearance too. And while his most famous catchphrase may not be uttered, there is a little, very appropriate swear.

What is it? Well you’ll have to listen in. Enjoy! For listeners interested in delving deeper into the research mentioned in this podcast, visit https://www.bco.org.uk/publications/about-our-reports Reports are free for BCO members to download

In this 40 minute conversation we touch on the BCO’s own mentoring programme and how those not yet part of it can get involved, but also dive deeper into what makes for a good mentor and mentee and why, if we really want to create the best workplace and workspace of tomorrow, we need to properly unlock the value of mentoring.

As a proud Brummie, Joe also shares his thoughts on the renaissance of the Midlands powerhouse and the challenges and opportunities the city’s office sector faces.

Find out more about the BCO's mentoring programme at https://www.bco.org.uk/nextgen-mentoring-programme

In this long listen, Ben talks about his contrarian approach to development management, his commitment to always asking why, and his passion to put heart, feeling and personality into every place we create.

He’s a strong believer that refurbishment should be the strategy going forward, that every building has a purpose and that doing the right thing can be a by-product of doing the financially savvy thing.

Listen in as we unpack 10 new principles for a better built world.

It’s not as woo-woo as it sounds, promise. Creating places where people want to be, to collaborate, innovate and work is crucial in developing truly functional and sustainable offices today.

Listen in to find out more about why you need to consider psychoacoustics just as much as your floor to ceiling heights and amenity if you want to give people a reason to be in the office and why understanding humans might be a better sales pitch to occupiers that some good patter on rents.

And, if you’re are at all feeling down about the future of offices – and the wider real estate sector – then you absolutely need to listen to this conversation with Betsy. She’s the perfect advert for why a career in real estate is the best career you can build.

Listen in to find out why.

With reforms to the Landlord & Tenant Act, a mooted ban on upward only rent reviews and a wider variety of occupational agreements out there, Emma shares her views on potential fresh new legislation and gives us the lowdown on a new managed space agreement that does away with legalese and replaces it with more human and less adversarial language.

Could this be the start of something new?

Emma is more than just a leading lawyer – she’s been listed multiple times in the corporate occupier Legal 500 – she’s also a coach, grounding her practice in the teachings of philosophy. Keep listening as we delve in to why knowing our what and why couldn’t be more important when it comes to delivering workspace that works.

Listen in to find out what makes Helen tick, her journey into real estate and why, if you want to be successful, picking your team well and being an ace at project management are vital skills to have.

We talk more about the value that comes from the BCO’s unrivalled access to excellence, the importance of talent in the sector, the need to close a growing skills gap, the importance of language, Helen’s responsibility as a visible role model and how the world of workspace and work places needs to be more widely recognised as contributor to growth.

There’s all that and so much more.

Enjoy.

Research shows that members of the neurodivergent community continue to face struggles with disabling workspaces, with the British Council for Offices calling on landlords and occupiers to urgently design more inclusive office spaces.

One in seven individuals in the UK is classed as neurodivergent, yet these individuals’ needs continue to be neglected by businesses.

Those who belong to the neurodiversity community are currently underserved by and often unsupported in the current employment ecosystem. A BCO Research report published earlier this year was undertaken by Centric Lab and PLP Architecture and examines the needs of the neurodiverse workforce. To this end, the report was divided into four core sections: defining neurodiversity, the link between place and health, identifying the principles of an enabling work environment, and design insights for a work-enabling environment. It brings in research from the worlds of neuroscience, lived experience and design to create a holistic and ecological approach to the creation of enabling work environments. The intention has been to look at how neurodiversity, employment and office spaces intersect to enact health and social justice. Combining the insights of neuroscience and the expertise of design, it sets out new standards and recommendations and is intended as an introduction for those who are building and designing offices.

In ep. 6 of Talking Shop, BCO NextGen London's Oliver Hall sits down with one of the report authors, Araceli Camargo, lead scientist at Centric Lab and a cognitive neuroscientist focused on how people interact with urban environments.

The full BCO research report is available to download from the BCO website: https://www.bco.org.uk/Research/Publications/Designing_for_Neurodiversity.aspx

Mike leads AECOM's London Building Engineering team and is responsible for major UK and international projects. Mike has over 22 years of experience in sustainable design and delivery.

Chris commenced with Fletcher Priest in 2011 and has worked on a range of workplace, leisure and hospitality projects at all design and construction stages. His portfolio includes projects of a variety of scales, both new-build and refurbishment leading from feasibility through to construction. Chris has also trained at the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology, and put these skills to use leading the design and coordination of the BCO Award-winning Brunel Building façade and external structure.

#bconextgen #talkingshop #bconotebook

#bconextgen

"Productivity is up, but innovation is down." The two discuss affordable workspace at length, SME's, building reuse, social sustainability, community and the recent workplace challenges Gen Z and Millennials have faced #remoteworking

“As a young architect, a previous boss told me to always challenge solutions from the past” – Ken Giannini

Yohance reminds us that great architecture should make you feel something and stresses the importance of anything that helps you to grow - especially chatting to industry peers - you just never know what could come from mingling and #networking.

“Buildings need to be platforms for partnerships.” If you look at your career, what would you like to leave behind and be known for? For Yohance, it’s people and places.

#bconextgen #talkingshop

Will working from home become the ‘new normal’? If so many people can do their jobs from home, do firms really need to take out so much office space? How can the ‘future office’ learn from our present situation?

Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO, speaks with Paul Patenall, BCO President and Projects Director at U+I.

Receive the BCO newsletter and stay up to date with future #bcoevents / webinars:

Visit http://www.bco.org.uk/Events/Events.aspx

Shuttleworth joined Foster and Partners in 1986 and worked on some of the world's most iconic buildings, including The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation’s headquarters, 30 St Mary Axe ('The Gherkin’) and City Hall.

He left Foster and Partners to set up his own practice, Make Architects, in 2004. The practice has completed a number of renowned buildings, such as the City of London Information Centre, the 55 Baker Street office development and the Olympic Park’s Copper Box Arena.

Mat's experience includes work on a variety of topics including various office markets, the impact of major infrastructure developments, advising on tenant mix for both in and out-of-town retail and leisure developments, environmental impact analyses and assessing demand for and master planning leisure developments.

Peter is a founder member and director of the British Council for Offices and received the President’s Award in 2003 for “presiding over one of the most extensive periods of redevelopment in the City’s long history.”

Famously, Peter preferred to keep the City as a place just ‘for business’. In this episode, Kauntze asks whether he thinks this could change in the coming years, perhaps as a result of COVID-19. Planning in The City is covered throughout the episode, as well as what office designers can do to make their office stand out, and give people a reason to not just work from home.

Since 2012 Bill has been closely associated with the delivery and thought leadership around rail overbuild. Bill authored and led the production of the WSP papers ‘Building our way out of a crisis’, ‘Out of Thin Air’ and ‘Out of Thin Air – one year on’. He has presented on the topic at many conferences and events in the UK, continental Europe and Australia.

Bill has been a long term supporter of the BCO and led the conference technical tour programmes for New York, Madrid, Chicago, London and the recently postponed Toronto. In 2016 Bill co-edited ‘A Strategic Design Guide to Tall Buildings’ for the British Council for Offices and published by the RIBA.

He has been co-editor of Planning in London since 1994. He was a founder commissioner at CABE (Commission for Architecture & the Built Environment) in 1999, chaired its design review and regional panels, subsequently chairing its London Olympics design panel from 2005 to 2012. He became chair in 2010, overseeing its merger in 2011 with the Design Council, where he was deputy chair for three years.

He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Westminster and honorary fellowships from University College London and the Royal Institute of British Architects .He is an honorary member of the British Council for Offices and the Architectural Association. He was awarded an OBE for services to architecture in 2002.

His day-to-day work in this role included a radical overhaul of government communications, making them fit for the digital age. In this 'New Normal' special, BCO's Chief Exec, Richard Kauntze and Sir Craig Oliver discuss the UK and International Governments' handling of the Covid-19 crisis so far, Brexit, and the longer-term impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Richard also says that following Britain’s departure from the EU, there has been much talk of the benefits of a comprehensive trade deal with the US, but America fights hard in trade negotiations and asks Sir Christopher what he thinks the chances of a good deal are for both sides, and much much more in this not-to-be-missed 3rd New Normal Special on diplomacy and international relations.