BDG architecture + design News

Phil Hutchinson, Joint Managing Director of BDG, explains why lighting is such  an important factor in the workplace and offers some views on making the most of it.
http://www.i-fm.net/features/the-power-of-light/

BDG is delighted to be appointed as architects for design and heritage for  DFID's new offices in central London

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Cathy Haywards article from Facilities Management News writes;

With concerns over the UK's economy still  evident and charitable funding declining, the voluntary sector is facing reduced investment which could well impact on service delivery. Cathy Hayward of Magenta Associates reports from the recent Charities Facilities Management Conference 2011. Saving money while generating income for the core business might sound like an impossible task for the facilities professional, but for those in the charity sector it's been a way of life since the recession reduced fundraising, grant and investment income by approximately £911m a year. Yet at the same time there has been increasing demand for the services on offer. Sharing resources is the key to achieving that aim, that was the message from Annette McGill, director of Upkeep, a charity that teaches people how to look after buildings. McGill opened the Charities Facilities Management Conference 2011, held last month, stating that the theme of the conference was to "save, share and supply". Held at BCS, the Chartered Institute of IT's Covent Garden office, more than 100 delegates heard from a range of practising FMs in the not-for-profit or third sector, together with advisers and consultants to charity facilities professionals. First to speak was Helen Reeves of The Electoral Commission who detailed the organisation's journey to flexible working and the real cost savings achieved as a result. With the lease at the organisation's Great Peter Street office up, and no renewal option available, a new site was sought which could achieve considerable cost savings while improving communication and collaboration between the 120 staff, currently spread across two floors. The challenge was to find something near Westminster - but not sharing with another organisation which could potentially go against the Electoral
Commission's impartiality - where all staff could be accommodated on one floor. The
other aim, however, was to cut running costs by around a third and do this within a tight timescale. The project team was appointed in April 2010 with the deadline for moving set as December 2010. With support from Turner and Townsend Project Management and designers BDGworkfutures, who presented at the event alongside Reeves, the seemingly impossible was achieved. By December 2010 - in plenty of time for the May 2011 referendum - the Electoral Commission had moved from a 1,624m2 office to 1,141m2, all on one floor, with a 7:10 desk sharing ratio but with an increase in both meeting rooms and break-out and informal spaces. Costs, Reeves says, have been substantially reduced; the silo-working environment has been broken down, people work more flexibly and productively, and the move has received positive feedback from staff and visitors.

We are delighted to welcome Helen Ieronimo to the team as our Marketing Manager. With over 15 years of working in the world of property and design,  Helen joins us with a wealth of experience and knowledge.