The British Council for Offices has announced the three finalists in an inaugural competition which asked teams of young professionals to design an office fit for the workforce of 2035.
The BCO NextGen ideas competition, for which EG is a media partner, saw teams of architects, designers, engineers, developers, agents and other professionals aged under 35, conceive their ideas during “hackathons” and a mentoring session, submitting their proposals in the form of an illustrated report.
The competition was launched in May at the BCO Annual Conference, and the teams were asked to demonstrate knowledge of who occupiers will be two decades from now and how people will travel and interact with the workplace.
In a hackathon at Derwent London’s White Collar Factory in Old Street, E1, earlier this year, competition mentor Benjamin Lesser, who is a development manager at Derwent, said: “The contenders must consider what challenges will be faced by the future workforce such as the rise in technology, an ageing demographic, the contrast between virtual reality and reality IRL (in real life) and how buildings will need to ensure the physical environment suits future demand.
“Machines will be able to do many of the jobs that we do today. Therefore we, as human beings, need to be able to provide for those highly skilled specialist and creative jobs. What is it that we can bring to the party that machines can’t? What will the physical environment have to be like in order to support and enhance those kind of jobs?”
The competition judges whittled 40 submissions down to a shortlist of three, with Malcolm Reading Consultants advising the process. The winner will be revealed at the BCO’s NextGen Awards on 15 November and receive an invitation to attend the 2018 BCO Conference in Berlin.
Ken Shuttleworth, the founding director of Make Architects, BCO president and one of the competition judges, said: “Each entry has responded thoughtfully to the brief and put forward a thorough, compelling and beautifully presented proposition.
“Between them, they’ve offered very different responses to ways of using urban space, from repurposing existing facilities to providing flexible new-build solutions.
“The finalists should be congratulated for their creativity and for standing out among the many impressive submissions.”
John Forrester, EMEA chief executive at Cushman & Wakefield, and also a judge, said the entries demonstrate how innovation and creativity can solve complex problems and turn challenges into industry opportunities.
“The future of the BCO – and of our industry – is clearly in extremely ambitious and capable hands.”
The shortlist
88mph
- Jennifer Barnes – curator and project manager, Futurecity
- Laura Hannigan – engineer, associate, AKTII
- Annabel Koeck – project architect, Grimshaw
- Amelia Maxwell –finance and commercial manager, Lendlease
88mph propose “The Dynamo”, an adaptive reuse of an existing terrace of Victorian housing in London as the headquarters for a major energy company. The concept retains the existing façades and incorporates reconfigurable interior space, service cores plugged into the back of the building as an “energy backpack”, and facilities including a rooftop garden with staff allotments, a performance space and a meditation garden. The design responds to a future with increased transport connectivity across the UK: the company’s facilities are accordingly dispersed more widely throughout the country, but they retain a physical presence in the capital that is flexible and open to future changes.
Four Future
- Chris Campbell – mechanical engineer, Norman Disney & Young
- Nicola Matthews – interior designer, Associate Director, tp bennett
- Michael Stanton – brand consultant, The Honest Brand
- Michelle Wilkie – interior designer, director, tp bennett
Four Future propose “The Nest”, set on the Greenwich peninsula surrounding the O2 arena. A public meadow is placed over the top of the existing arena and surrounded by “nest” buildings. The form of these is based on the triple helix, with three occupiers (government, business and university) each occupying a third of the space, stacked in sequence around a central atrium. “Garden pods” at the building’s edge incorporate biophilic design principles and offer access to nature, and a ramp wraps around the exterior of the building, allowing access via a variety of means to all levels.
GTASC
- Craig Chatley – senior associate, Gardiner & Theobald
- Maxwell Ikin – engineer, Cundall
- Borja Marcaida – associate architect, Sheppard Robson
- Tom Place – structural engineer, Arup
GTASC propose “Network Space 2035”, a flexible network of working environments. Their central London site, close to the Barbican, the square mile and Farringdon Crossrail, incorporates a “Central Hub” building, which will be inhabited by multiple tenants alongside education, public, health and hospitality facilities. Community incubators, remotely connected to the hub, provide alternative working environments and platforms for start-up companies. The building form is adaptable, allowing the creation or reduction of space depending on future needs and uses.
To send feedback, e-mail Rebecca.Kent@egi.co.uk or tweet @Writer_RKent or @estatesgazette
