In just a few days the eagerly-awaited Workspace Design Show, a leading trade show that brings together the UK workplace interiors community, will open its doors. Held at London’s Business Design Centre, handily placed in the heart of Islington, from 27-28 February 2024, the event offers attendees the chance to explore the latest industry trends, see the latest products, and find inspiration in the thought-provoking talks programmes.

This year’s extensive speaker programme has over 120 speakers across four key elements of discourse. The Workspace Design Talks programme, will feature inspiring sessions from leading industry professionals over the event’s two days. Speakers include Alan Bainbridge, Director of Workplace, BBC; Yasmin Al-Ani Spence, Director, WilkinsonEyre; Mary-Louise Gray, VP Workplace, Real Estate and Facilities, GSK; and Naomi Sakamoto, Principal Studio Director, Gensler. Topics covered include designing a workspace that meets cross generational needs, the hotelification of the office, using AI in workplace design and the evolution of workplace design through the eyes of next gen architects.

The FIS Conference, taking place on 27-28 February, will explore productivity, quality, compliance and sustainability issues in the fit-out sector, with leading speakers from among others tp bennett, MCM, Claremont, ISG, British Land and Turner & Townsend.

Sustainability Works, curated by Mick Jordan, Editor of Works magazine, returns for 2024 and is held on 27 February, once again bringing together a selection of key figures from firms such as Perkins&Will, Scott Brownrigg, BDG architecture and design and M Moser Associates, who are behind the workplace market’s leading sustainable initiatives and projects. The Occupiers Forum, held on 28 February, offers the complete ‘The View from HQ’. Located in the Insights Lounge, it will provide unique insights from occupiers such as BT Group, HSBC, Clifford Chance, Salesforce and Barclays into what employers are doing to create an engaging workplace experience.

2024’s features represent an incredible spectacle for attendees of the Show, all seeking inspiration from the overarching show theme ‘Bloom – Exploring the Thriving Ecosystem of Work Life’. There will be an array of captivating features such as the Design Talks Lounge by Gensler, the Entrance by tp bennett, the Insights Lounge by BDP, a Living Workplace lighting installation by Jason Bruges Studio, and the Recharge Lounge M Moser Associates,

Once again, FIS will host its awards at the Workspace Design Show. These will celebrate the creativity, craftsmanship, and cutting-edge innovations that define the finishes and interiors sector. With a spotlight on revolutionary materials, exceptional design techniques, and sustainability breakthroughs, the FIS Innovation Awards serve as a showcase of the industry’s finest achievements.

As the sun sets on the first day of the show, the Workspace Design Show invites attendees to party and socialise into the rest of the evening. This exclusive event is the perfect opportunity to unwind, network, and celebrate. The party kicks off immediately after the day’s activities from 5:30pm to 8:00pm, completely transforming the venue into a vibrant hub of creativity and connection.

This year will bring the exciting mood board contest area designed by MF Design Studio. The unique scheme runs parallel with a blooming tree; MF Design Studio have created an environment for the mood board contest to engage participants, to experience the world of workplace design through a personal exploration of materials, textures and colours. Their use of colour represents our diversity and how they approach design in an individual yet collaborative way, bold lines bloom into curves that define the different palettes. Using all sustainable materials to inspire designers to create a more sustainable future.  The contest allows attendees to create their own stunning mood boards, which they can then submit as their entry to the contest.

Exhibitors from over 20 countries will be showcasing innovative and transformational workplace interiors products during the event. The workplace world descends on London for the two days of Workplace Design Show from Pedrali and Lapalma from Italy, Spain’s Kettal and Actiu, Modulyss from Belgium and Woven image all the way from Australia, plus many more.

Workspace Design Show will be the place in London for architects, designers, occupiers, developers, consultants, coworking companies and fit-out companies to explore the latest industry trends, see the latest products, and find inspiration in the thought-provoking talks programmes.

Register now for a complimentary pass and attend the Workspace Design Show

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a report from NOCN’s and CCATF (both education and skills bodies) setting out recommendations to improve the flow of skilled and competent talent into the construction sector.

The report highlights the challenges of ensuring competency of the workforce to comply with the new Building Safety Act, the overall decline in skills funding over the past 10 years and the need to upskill the workforce to embrace the green, digital jobs of the future. It suggests developing the CSCS scheme to support verification with competency under the Building Safety Act, improving diversity, and developing a more agile and consistent UK skills system for construction.

Find out more here.

The Government has published its long awaited National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline 2023, which sets out planned and projected investment in major economic and social infrastructure over the next 10 years, the workforce requirement to deliver it, as well as a list of near term planned procurements.  The aim is to help manufacturers and the wider industry make informed business planning decisions, and support investment in skills and construction productivity.

For more information click here

From 6 April, all building-control professionals must pass a competence assessment and register with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), a division of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Lorna Stimpson, the chief executive of Local Authority Building Control (LABC,) has warned that this could mean that a considerable number of councils are at risk of discontinuing building-control services from April, unless the deadline for proving professional competence is extended.

In a significant move, she has urged senior officials at the HSE, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), and the Welsh Government to postpone the competence assessment deadline by six months for a smoother transition. She cautioned in a letter that many building-control professionals might not attain certification before the deadline, leading to “a significant number of authorities” in England and Wales being unable to carry out building control.

According to Stimpson, the absence of registered building inspectors in a local authority would have broad repercussions on the construction industry, consumers, regulatory enforcement, and compliance.  She states that the profession has had insufficient time to grasp the new requirements, with numerous surveyors yet to apply for registration or competence testing and also expressed concerns about the mental health impact on staff at the independent assessor bodies, with building control professionals experiencing a high level of stress due to the deadline.

She suggested that building surveyors should adhere to the BSR’s codes of conduct from 6 April and be enrolled in an independent assessment scheme, working towards certification by the revised deadline.

FIS chief executive Iain McIlwee said: “This is undoubtedly a concern for all in the supply chain as delays can be expensive and disruptive.  We urge all members to pay careful attention to their contracts and any liabilities associated with delay that could be imposed on them and encourage Government to heed the warnings of the LABC who are working closely with their local authority members to ensure that political ideology is matched to practical considerations and that we are all working together to deliver a safer and better culture in the construction sector supported by effective regulation and pragmatic, but robust enforcement.”