Seminars & Debates

 

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Thursday 5 June 2008

Session 2

2A - Debate

What makes cities tick?

Can cities have energy and yet be boring for the citizens living within their boundaries, with boring architecture, staid yet homely districts and precincts, business districts that tick rather than ignite, and housing and social provisions that are fit for purpose rather than inspiring? Does this matter?

In this session members of the BCO Urban Group will hotly debate what gives cities their buzz. What are the essential ingredients that make cities vibrant economic and social places? What is the kind of inspiring architecture and streetscape that gives precincts and districts their energy, and sense of value and belonging? Or do we actually need any of these "energizing characteristics" to make cities tick? Can they be boring, and yet socially and economically viable and successful? Come armed with your views!

Speakers:
Jackie Sadek, CBRE (Chair); Jeremy Myerson, Helen Hamlyn Centre, Royal College of Art; Keith Priest, Fletcher Priest Architects; Paul Warner, 3DRied; Peter Wynne Rees, Corporation of London.

2B - Debate (This session is fully booked)

In the heat of the day - what's the right temperature for work?

Taking up the challenge set at the BCO's Annual Conference 2006 in Dublin, this session will debate current views on the right workplace temperature with issues of comfort and productivity, challenging the goals of sustainability and low carbon targets. Highlighting the BCO's own recent research into office temperatures, this evidence based debate will be a lively session designed to draw out all of the arguments for and against raising the temperature in offices in the UK.

Speakers:
Steven Davidson, Land Securities (Chair); Ant Wilson, Faber Maunsell; William Poole-Wilson, Pringle Brandon; Brian Warwicker, Brian Warwicker Partnerships.

2C - Seminar

Getting lighting right - the new BCO guide to lighting

In 2008 the BCO will publish a new BCO Guide to Lighting. This seminar will outline the main tenets of the new guide, focusing on a number of best practice issues and giving members an opportunity to discuss the new guide with the team of experts who have been working together over the past eighteen months to complete this project.

Speakers:
Iain Trent, Land Securities; Chris Munn, Roger Preston & Partners; Graham Whittaker, Zumtobel Lighting; Barrie Wilde.

2D - Seminar

Eastern European offices - a role for the BCO?

Many BCO members are creating office space across Eastern Europe and now Central Asia, and the BCO Specification is at the heart of most discussions when it comes to developing new office space in these regions. Focusing in on these facts this seminar will discuss the economic and market trends of these two regions, the aspirations of BCO members for their business across CEE, Russia and Kazakhstan, and identify the opportunities still to be had in cities like Moscow and Almaty.

Speakers:
Bill Price, WSP Group (Chair); Robert Fry, Swanke Hayden Connell; David Lawrence, AIG; Simon Marx, Experian.

2E - Seminar (This session is fully booked)

What role do offices play in regeneration?

A seminar to explore the role of office development and occupier contribution in the context of master planning, and to establish their importance in achieving sustainable mixed use regeneration. Drawing on UK and international examples, successful and not so successful schemes, the benefits and commercial contribution to developers, planning authorities and communities will be analysed with the objective to identify key evidence and arguments to support the town planning process, shaping of the master plan and successful implementation.

Speakers:
Gordon Carey, careyjones and BCO President (Chair); John Adams, Drivers Jonas; Joe Berridge, Urban Strategies Inc; David Partridge, Argent.


Thursday 5 June 2008

Session 3

3A - Debate (This session is fully booked)

Has flexible working gone too far?

Flexible working is a trend and apparently gripping offices everywhere. Great news but is this a TREND that's going too far? What are the consequences of everyone working remotely for the businesses themselves and for office developers, and what does the future really hold? Using real practitioners who apply flexible working to their businesses, this session will hotly debate the pros, cons and future of flexible working. In order to assist this debate the BCO will be commissioning a nationwide survey on flexible working which will be published in the spring of 2008.

Speakers:
Paul Harrington, PricewaterhouseCoopers (Chair); Martin Cook, Building Design Partnership; Nick Fletcher, Harmsen Group; Bridget Hardy, OGC; Chris Kane, BBC; Dr Wim Pullen, Centre for People and Buildings, Delft University of Technology.

3B - Debate (This session is fully booked)

Green transport policies and office location - city centre or business park?

Low carbon is the new cause and zero carbon will become the leading mantra of the 21st century. In this new environmentally focused regime, how will offices cope? Will congestion charging drive occupiers out-oftown, or green transport plans pull them intown to public transport nodes? This debate will contest the different views about green policies and their impact on central business districts in Britain's major cities. How will intown remain viable without occupiers adopting higher levels of green awareness? Will the green policies of town halls drive occupiers to the business park?

Speakers:
Mat Oakley, Savills (Chair); Carl Potter, GVA Grimley; Ken Knott, Ask; Richard Cutler, Goodman; Gary Wingrove, UBS.

3C - Debate

Question time with the BCO Technical Affairs Committee

A new BCO Guide: Best Practice in the Specification of Offices, will be published in 2009. The Technical Affairs Committee (TAC) will be leading the review and revision of the current 2005 version. This session is designed to give members an opportunity to discuss the contents of the next Specification with the whole TAC.

Including questions submitted in advance and discussions from the floor, this session will be an opportunity for members to give real feedback to the TAC talking through questions like - is the current specification reflecting accurately the needs of the market place? And what should BCO Specification now say about shell & core vs. cat a, sustainability, occupational densities, small power loadings, toilet provisions etc?

Speakers:
Neil Pennell, Land Securities and Chairman of the BCO Technical Affairs Committee (Chair); Geoff Harris, Henderson Investors; Bob Dalziel, 3DReid; Hanif Kara, Adams Kara Taylor; Nick Clare, Davis Langdon; Peter Williams, Arup; Paul Chandler, Skanska; Ant Wilson, Faber Maunsell.

3D - Seminar

Post-Occupancy Evaluation - lessons to be learned?

In November 2008 the BCO launched its new guide to Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE). How has this been received and have members been encouraged to undertake a POE? Using fresh case studies this seminar will examine how the BCO document has bedded down and where the BCO goes from here with the workplace agenda.

Speakers:
Nigel Oseland, Alexi Marmot Associates (Chair); Jacqui Harrington, HHR Associates; Colin Stuart, EC Harris.

3E - Seminar

London regenerating - the right path

A seminar to present examples and experience from major regeneration projects which seek to deliver change and growth to meet London's needs in maintaining its global status. One particular area of discussion will be whether good product and transport connections can compete or better traditional prime locations. These will include Bishops Place and Bishopsgate Goods Yard, King's Cross, Paddington, Victoria and the Southbank.

Speakers:
Paul Finch, Architectural Review (Chair); Peter Cole, Hammerson; Roger Madelin, Argent; Mike Hussey, Land Securities; Graham King, City of Westminster.


Friday 6 June 2008

Session 5

5A - Debate

Offices - views of the future

How will generation Y work and what will they need to do work? How might work change and what will workplaces be like? How will the emerging low carbon economy combine with technological advances to create a new post iPod economy?

This debate will bring together those who hold distinct, even radical views on work and the workplace in the future with the goal of giving BCO members guidance for how they might design and develop office space over the next decade.

Speakers:
Katherine Bell, Accenture (Chair); Catherine Gall, Steelcase Futures; Dan Johnson, Accenture.

5B - Debate (This session is fully booked)

Energy labelling for offices -it's not like buying a washing machine!

This debate will discuss the whole issue of energy labelling for offices, the whole EPBD and DEC! Are they worth the time, effort, paper and money? What will be their impact on the market? Will they create a new underclass of offices, driving investors away from inefficient offices? Or will they instead be a motivator for improvement and re-fitting of space ahead of time? Who will pay for the energy improvement of old stock - tenants? How should landlords & tenants collaborate in this new era?

Speakers:
Neil Pennell, Land Securities (Chair); Paul Davidson, BRE; Hywell Davies, CIBSE; Digby Flower, CBRE.

5C - Seminar

Lift technology and future developments

Lift technology is undergoing something of a revolution right now. Double-decker lifts and hall call destination control are two new innovations which are changing the ways people can move around a building. Developing our own knowledge about these future developments in the spirit of best practice, this seminar will bring the BCO members up to speed on new lift technologies, and offer members an opportunity to discuss in depth the BCO's own future Specification advice on lifts.

Speakers:
Bill Evans, D2E International (Chair); Simon Russett, Hoare Lea; Johannes de Jong, Kone; Richard Peters, Peters Research.

5D - Seminar

Green leases - what are they and how do they affect you?

This seminar will explore the origins of the green lease and explain how it differs from conventional leases. International examples will explain where they are being applied and why. Anticipated impacts and evolution will be discussed with a view to wider debate on the impact, benefits and risks for BCO members as developers, investors, occupiers and advisors.

Speakers:
Nichola West, Denton Wilde Sapte; Paul Burgess, British Land; Dion Panambalana, Lovells.

5E - Seminar

NATO - building offices for the military

Brussels is home to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) whose existing headquarters are situated on the eastern side of the city, close to the airport. The existing site, which has been in use for 40 years, is now nearing the end of its life and a new HQ, on the other side of Boulevard Leopold III, will start construction in 2008. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who won the International Architectural Design Competition for the design of the new complex, will host this discussion on the design of the new scheme.

Speakers:
Jo Palma, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Don Hutchins, Defence Investment Division, NATO HQ.