黑洞社区

It has been a while since the British Council for Offices鈥� (BCO) annual conference made its way across the channel for three days in continental Europe. If you said the word 鈥渃oronavirus鈥� to one of the delegates to Copenhagen in 2019, they might have pulled a funny face. In 2025, and only just starting to get used to the changes brought to their sector by the pandemic, more than 600 BCO members descended on Milan to discuss what comes next for offices

Here are 黑洞社区鈥檚 key takeaways from the three-day conference:

A 鈥榗ity of gates鈥� and a model for office-led regeneration

In her speech opening the conference, Helen Hare, BCO senior vice-president and conference chair, said that for most of the attendees, the answer to the question 鈥渨hy Milan?鈥� was simple: 鈥淲hy not?鈥�. 

But for the organisers, she said, bringing the conference to the pricey commercial juggernaut of northern Italy had been a longstanding ambition. On its third time trying, Hare said they had finally managed to bring the British office sector to the city of fashion.

鈥淚n planning for the conference, and in a world of change, I wanted to take the conference to a location where the BCO had not been before, but also somewhere I felt we had something to learn and experience,鈥� said Hare. 鈥淚 wanted a location that was vibrant and supported the next most significant asset that drives real estate, and that is us and our people.

鈥淢ilan is the financial and economic hub and powerhouse of Italy. It is also the centre of design and fashion. It has placed itself on the global map as a destination of choice, and it is a city undergoing major transformation with some of the most prestigious urban regeneration projects in Europe.鈥�

Hare was followed by a native Milanese, Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffe, who gave a verbal tour of the city鈥檚 history and all that makes it great, delivered in flamboyant style and at machine-gun pace (he got through 92 slides in 45 minutes). Maffe, an associate professor of practice of strategy and entrepreneurship at SFA Bocconi School of Management, explained how Milan was 鈥渘ot a city of walls, but a city of gates鈥�; a city of technology and learning, where academia and commerce combine over coffee, and where even a genius such as Leonardo da Vinci had to bring his CV to get a gig.

The city, he said, had 鈥渞einvented itself many times鈥�, most recently through the 2015 Milan Expo and the development of Porta Nuova. The city had been willing to rip-up tradition in order to progress, he added.

The Expo, for instance, triggered the abandonment of a centuries-old provision that no structure would be built taller than the Madonnina. Through this, it had managed to set itself apart from the rest of Italy, with GDP growth (9.9%) almost double that of the rest of the country, low employment and a high level of patent production and globally-cited scientific research.

Offering advice to British office developers, Maffe urged them to learn from Milan鈥檚 embrace of work as a central part of life. 鈥淭he opposition between work and life, we don鈥檛 buy it,鈥� he said.

Later that day, Manfredi Catella, founder and chief executive of Coima, the developer responsible for much of the Porta Nuova and Olympic development [the winter Olympics will be based here in February next year], explained just how significant the mid-2010s had been for Milan. 鈥淲hen we started Porta Nuova, it was a very low moment in the reputation and quality from a design perspective,鈥� he said, explaining how there had been 鈥渁 cultural deterioration in the country鈥� in the 20th century.

鈥淲e transitioned a bad reputation to a good reputation鈥� through the project, Catella explained, helping to make Milan an attractive prospect for investors.

Speaking to 黑洞社区 at the end of the second day, Hare said the UK could learn from Milan鈥檚 positive attitude to growth and sympathetic planning system. 鈥淵ou really get the sense that the local authority is working with developers to push and drive that growth,鈥� she said, noting that there were commercial incentives for hitting renewable targets built into the city鈥檚 system, not just punishments for failing to meet standards.

The office is 鈥榲ery much alive鈥� 鈥� but only three days a week

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 fair to say the office is very much alive.鈥� Hare鈥檚 statement at the start of the conference struck a more confident tone than has generally been taken in the office sector in recent years. She reeled off headlines from recent weeks describing how central London rental ERVS are 7-9% up in the past 12 months and grade A space is in short supply.

Indeed, there was a sense of renewed optimism in conversations over espresso or Aperol across the three days of the conference. Knight Frank surveyor Betsy Brady said  there had been a shift in sentiment since MIPIM in March.

鈥淏efore that, the sentiment with capital markets was feeling OK, [but] we were waiting for the change to come,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut then, when I was at was at MIPIM and I was speaking to so many developers and investors who were like, 鈥� well, let鈥檚 just get in now. You know, we can keep waiting, or we can get moving now鈥�.鈥�

Helena Morris, senior development director at Stanhope, agreed that the mood was now 鈥渞eally positive鈥�, adding that the upturn seemed to be happening sooner than expected. 鈥淚 think we always said 2025 will be when we start to feel more positive,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 think it would be at a super-early point in 2025, [but] I think that鈥檚 now what we are seeing.鈥�

Not everyone painted quite such a rosy picture, however. Mark Lacey, director at Turner & Townsend Alinea, said there was 鈥渕ore confidence鈥� in the market but that viability was still a 鈥渕assive challenge鈥� because of the cost of funding.

鈥淚 think the market is starting to turn, and the evidence of that is you see private equity come back into the market, and we鈥檙e seeing lots of clients trying to acquire sites and get things going,鈥� he said, but stressed that this came with an asterix. 

鈥淯ntil the public spending review washes through, until the cost of money comes down, I don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e gonna see that sentiment dramatically change,鈥� he said, adding that, with President Trump causing chaos in the American economy, 鈥渆verything is so uncertain鈥�.

The improved investment picture perhaps reflects the stabilisation of occupancy following years of uncertainty after the pandemic. There seems to be a consensus that, between Tuesday and Thursday, office working has returned to roughly its pre-pandemic norm. But developers and occupiers are still trying to figure out how to deal with Mondays and the even more troublesome Fridays.

Office developers have thrown the kitchen sink at amenity in recent years to attract people back into work. But, according to Morris, there is an increasing realisation of the need to answer employees鈥� basic question: 鈥渋s your workplace more comfortable than your home set-up?鈥�

In a panel discussion on the future of the workplace, Dr Nigel Osland, of Workplace Unlimited, noted: 鈥淭he office is really good for [connectivity] but for some people, they still need those areas of concentration and focus as well.鈥�

While occupiers have by no means given up on getting staff back in at the end of the week, there is also a recognition that this could be a new normal that requires adaptation. 鈥淭here are a number of occupiers that have strategies in place where, on these days, you can occupy floors here, and then on Monday and Friday, they will specifically close off floors 鈥� to minimise electricity expenditure and all of the facilities being used,鈥� noted Brady.

In a seminar session chaired by Brady, another method for utilising space fully was mentioned. David Crew, head of corporate real estate at Hogan Lovells mentioned that his firm opened up its ofice on Friday for some of their key clients to use. Those responsible for designing new workspaces are realising that the best thing they can do is to offer adaptable spaces to accommodate this fluctuating picture.

鈥淭he key thing we鈥檝e seen over the last few years is we can鈥檛 predict the future,鈥� said Simon Wyatt, partner at Cundall. 鈥淲hat we see the trend towards, at the moment, is more adaptable spaces,鈥� he says, explaining that clients are looking for additional MEP capacity and spaces that can easily be reconfigured.

Low carbon agenda to enhance engineer鈥檚 role, and change the face of the City

Given the changing geopolitical winds worldwide, you might wonder whether the industry might have dropped its sustainability ambitions. But, if that is going to be the case, it has not happened yet. Michela Martini, technical director at WSP, said that 鈥渦ltimately there is only one direction鈥� on sustainability, and that is reducing waste and making buildings more operationally efficient.

鈥淭he simple answer is 鈥� no鈥�, we鈥檙e not feeling the effect,鈥� agreed Austin Wikner, partner, Ridge. 鈥淚 think the probably more nuanced answer is that you will start to see some of that effect come through.鈥�

For now, though, Wikner is focused on dealing with the 鈥渨hole raft of new legislation鈥� coming in over the next 18 months 鈥渢hat will affect us up until at least 2030鈥�. This includes a new UK Net Zero Carbon 黑洞社区 Standard, which will come out in September and give a full definition of a net zero carbon building, as well as the new Future 黑洞社区 Standard, which will bring 鈥渧ery significant change to where we currently sit in terms of energy efficiency鈥� when it comes in next April.

According to Wikner, the new standard will mean more focus on passive design, electric heating solutions, high u values in facades, insulation and air tightness. 鈥淎ll of that is heading towards tightening up the minimum energy efficiency standard,鈥� he said, suggesting that there would probably be an expectation of EPC C by 2027 and an EPC B by 2030.

鈥淓ffectively, that means that people have buildings today that will struggle to achieve the right EPC ratings that then allows them to be leased. So you are heading towards clients having portfolio buildings or individual buildings that effectively could become stranded.鈥�

Wikner said that the new regulations could push changes in the way that tall office buildings in the UK are designed, with the classic glass curtain walling facing 鈥渢he greatest challenge鈥�, because of the embodied carbon involved. Smith agreed in part, explaining that there was 鈥渁 big balancing act with the facade鈥�.

22 Bishopsgate, for instance, was built with a very efficient facade from an operational perspective, 鈥渂ut that鈥檚 because its got layer upon layer of glazing鈥�, as well as blinds with motors. 鈥淚 can say operationally this is a very efficient facade, but my embodied carbon spend on material to deliver that really outweighs it,鈥� he says.

T&T Alinea鈥檚 Mark Lacey said he did not expect 鈥渢he death of the glass building鈥�, explaining that they could be sustainable if designed correctly. 鈥淭he whole focus needs to move away from embodied carbon and chasing minutiae, [instead] focusing on operational efficiency,鈥� he said, adding that he expected to see an increase in building on top of existing stock in the City.

According to Wikner, designers will not be pushed away from or in favour of a single solution, but rather be forced into experimentation. 鈥淭he period of, say, maybe 2010, after 2020, building design was interesting, but it was all very similar,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he architects did a really great job of making things look different, [but] peel away the skin and it鈥檚 all very, very similar. We鈥檙e all going to have to explore pretty hard.鈥�

One thing most people agreed on was that the carbon agenda would drive towards a greater volume of refurbishment work compared with new-build, with even relatively recently built towers requiring work. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working with the client now to decarbonise a building that鈥檚 only five years old,鈥� said Smith.

鈥淭he old BCO office criteria from 15 years ago doesn鈥檛 work anymore. It was all about over-provision and giving the tenant what they want [鈥�] the market has moved so much.鈥�

The increasing importance of building incredibly efficient buildings is also enhancing the role of the MEP engineer, according to Sam Smith, technical director at WSP. He says his team was recently, for the first time, appointed by the client before the architect was chosen.

鈥淲e sat there with a client and had to write a brief and sit on the interview panel,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a big shift. I mean, 10 years ago, we would come in, the architect would go and sell the dream and go and make it all work, and say, 鈥� find an engineer to fit some boxes in鈥�.鈥�

Not only will the engineer鈥檚 role begin earlier, it could also stretch on for longer as owners seek to improve operational efficiency, with engineers kept on to monitor and make adjustments. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 say at practical completion, 鈥� thanks very much for your services鈥�, we work with you for three, five, or seven years, and then off you go into the sunset,鈥� according to Stanhope鈥檚 Morris. 鈥淣ow we retain certain parts of the engineers to do that.鈥�

Smith agreed that, while 鈥渋n the past there was definitely a hard stop, where you just walk away鈥�, things were now changing.

New leadership heralds new era for the BCO

This conference marked a momentous changing of the guard at the BCO as the first in more than two decades not to take place under the leadership of long-time chief executive Richard Kauntze. During his 25 years in the role, Kauntze has seen BCO conferences in 17 cities across the UK, US and Europe, and overseen a growth in membership from 585 to more than 4,000.

At the beginning of proceedings in Milan, Helen Hare praised Kauntze for having 鈥済uided the ship鈥� through 鈥渕any challenging times鈥�, including the global financial crisis and covid. 鈥淭hroughout that time, the membership has continued to grow, research technical papers have continued plenty, and the BCO awards have become an aspiration for most of us in the sector,鈥� said Hare.

>> Read more: 鈥榃e鈥檙e too self effacing鈥�: BCO chief Richard Kauntze on why UK offices are some of the best in the world

Kauntze was replaced at the beginning of this month by Samantha McClary, a former editor of the publication Estates Gazette, making the transition from 鈥渃ritical friend鈥� of the industry to would-be sector leader. In a sit-down conversation with Hare, she said that, as a journalist, she 鈥渇ell in love with real estate鈥� and that she eventually decided that she 鈥渨anted to be more of a champion鈥�.

Asked what she saw as being the biggest challenges for the sector going forward, McClary picked 鈥渃omplacency鈥�. She said the industry no longer had the 鈥渓uxury鈥� to simply 鈥済et used to how things are done鈥� without innovating. 

鈥淲e need that caffeine shot clearly to make sure that we鈥檙e pushing forwards all the time,鈥� she continued. 鈥淚 think, if we鈥檙e not, we鈥檙e not moving, we鈥檙e not running, we鈥檙e not pivoting when we need to pivot, then that鈥檚 a that鈥檚 a real danger.鈥�

Speaking to 黑洞社区, Mark Lacey, who curated the conference programme, praised the work McClary had already done, saying that what she was trying to achieve with [the BCOI] being 鈥渕uch more of a mouthpiece for the office industry is absolutely right鈥�. He said that the Milan conference had been the start of 鈥渁 bit of a recalibration鈥� of the BCO, with more women and young people organising and presenting.  

Where next?

After three days of networking and discussion, all that was left was the grand reveal. Andy McBain, head of future of workspace and design at NatWest Group and junior vice-president of the BCO, announced in the final plenary session that the 2026 event will take place in Edinburgh.

鈥淛ust as the Scottish Enlightenment sparked a revolution in thinking across the arts, architecture, science, medicine, philosophy and economics, today鈥檚 workplace is undergoing its very own profound transformation and it鈥檚 very own enlightenment,鈥� said McBain. 

But, there is a twist. Some of the programme will take place in another city 鈥� Glasgow.

McBain listed the two cities鈥� successes as cities of innovation: penicillin, Dolly the sheep and the digestive biscuit for Edinburgh; ultrasound, waterproof coats and the chicken tikka masala for Glasgow. 

鈥淲e鈥檒l provide the festival, the gathering and the party and we ask you to bring your expertise and creative energy so together we can spark the debates, discussions and the new enlightenment,鈥� he said.

We might add that 黑洞社区 will once again provide the key takeaways. 

黑洞社区 is the media partner for this year鈥檚 BCO conference