2020 – a year of lessons for the built environment

There is no getting away from the fact that 2020 has been a life/work experiment that no-one could have predicted and it will shape the built environment for years to come.

But this is an evolution, not a revolution. Yes, bricks and mortar retail has had an extremely tough year but it was already struggling in some quarters.

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

And working from home pre-dates the March lockdown – it just became a necessity rather than an option.

So what lessons can we take from the exceptional circustances of 2020?

We learned the value of the office and the important role it can play.

There are advantages to working from home – for some at least. It can be more productive when you just need to get your head down and concentrate, for example.

It gives time back as there is no commute which can mean a better work-life balance.

Value of interaction

But being forced to work from home has also shown the value of interaction which you get from working in a shared space.

It has highlighted how skills and knowledge can be more easily be built and shared – particularly for those starting out in their career.

Will this affect how office space is used – and ultimately designed? Undoubtedly.

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MIPIM UK: The future of retail and town centres under the spotlight

Screenshot 2019-05-29 at 11.14.21I’ve been writing a lot about the future of retail and town centre for clients in recent months so I’m really excited to be involved with this panel session at MIPIM UK in October.

It will be an opportunity to explore some of the solutions with a brilliant panel of experts (more panellists to be announced soon).

The key things I’ve learned from talking to people in the industry is that retail certainly isn’t dead, it’s evolving and while there will continue to be casualties, there will also be winners.
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Good for the environment, good for footfall?

New public water fountain.jpgThis is the first public water bottle refill station I’ve seen in the West End.

It’s a scheme supported by the Mayor for London and I happened upon it by chance as it’s tucked away in a pedestrianised side street of a newish mixed-use development.

Not only does it help reduce plastic and provide a useful ‘service’ but it’s given me another reason to walk through this particular area.