Workspace Unwired

British Council for Offices
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Workspace Unwired is a fresh new podcast brought to you by BCO in which we delve into everything workspace and work places, from the people that make it happen, the places that it helps create, the planet that we need to protect as we redesign, retrofit and deliver fresh workspaces and the policies and practices that are impacting the sector today and tomorrow.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Workspace Unwired: The Ps of successful development – playful, purposeful, placemaking…and perhaps Percy Pigs

    In this episode of Workspace Unwired BCO chief executiveSamantha McClary is talking to Doug Higgins, a director at Socius, and Emma Goodford, consultant adviser at Railpen, about not one but two major developments they are delivering together in Cambridge. While both Mill Yard and Botanic Place offer plenty ofworkspace, like all careful development today, both also focus heavily on creating place. An office development today has to offer more than just a place to work. It needs to be a place to thrive, a place to feel alive, to be inspired, and, say the pair, a place where you can – and should – have a little fun. The importance of the impact that places we build have onsociety runs deep through both Socius and Railpen. As a B Corp, how the Socius business impacts on society and the planet is written into its Articles of Association, and as a £35bn pension fund dedicated to railway workers, Railpenhas to make sure that its assets can continue to create value for its 350,000 members. Listen in as the trio, fuelled by Percy Pigs, explore howoccupier expectations are shifting, why amenity now extends far beyond the building’s walls, what it really takes to create workplaces that act as magnets not mandates, and how both Mill Yard and Botanic Place are intentionally prioritising community integration, local operators, flexibilityand wellbeing to ensure they deliver successful new places within Cambridge. Enjoy.

    46 min

  2. 9 MAR

    Workspace Unwired: How urban farms may be the RTO magnet every business needs

    In this episode of the Workspace Unwired podcast BCO chiefexecutive Samantha McClary is talking to Patrick Dumas, founder and CEO of Square Mile Farms, about how his company is transforming offices into hubs of urban agriculture, wellbeing, and community connection. Over the course of this 40 minute conversation, recorded onlocation in London’s Paddington, Dumas shares how what began as an attempt to establish a distributed food production network across London's rooftops hasevolved into a human‑centred, experiential amenity that brings people back into workplaces—not for desks, but for shared experiences, health, and purpose. While the farms may have started as a way to help businessesdeliver on the E of their ESG strategies, Dumas says the S has become the company’s most powerful impact area. Farms attract interaction across hierarchies, while school visits, nutrition workshops, and regular harvest donations to food banks expand businesses into the local community. Listen in to find out more about how the farms work, why bigbusinesses like British Land, Vodafone and GSK are leaning and why Dumas has an ambition to become the largest farm in Europe, based entirely in London, that sells no food. And, of course, why he wants designers and developers tointegrate farms as a standard amenity in our workplaces. Enjoy.

    42 min

  3. 23 FEB

    Workspace Unwired: How to keep going when something goes pop

    In this episode of Workspace Unwired BCO chief executiveSamantha McClary gets a lesson in proper due diligence with Dave Bebb, a partner at specialist construction and engineering law firm Fenwick Elliott. Bebb shares insights from his extensive career in constructionlaw about how to limit the risks to projects of insolvency somewhere in the supply chain. Insolvency remains a real threat in today’s environment.Construction is still the most “critically distressed” industry in the UK, according to Begbies Traynor’s latest Red Flag Alert, with real estate and property services showing a 23.5% increase in significant financial distress in the final quarter of 2025. It is a tough world out there, but if you’re keen to knowwhat to do pre, during and post project to ensure you mitigate the risks of insolvency, then this is the podcast for you. Listen in as Bebb shares invaluable advice on how to protectyourself against one of the parties in your supply chain going bust, what signs to look out for to give you an early warning advantage for when a party may be in trouble and what to do and what not to do to keep your project on track. Invaluable advice for free. What’s not to love? Enjoy.

    32 min

  4. 9 FEB

    Workspace Unwired: We need to do more than cause less harm

    In this episode of Workspace Unwired Dave Cheshire,sustainability director at AECOM and author of Regenerative by Design, joins BCO chief executive Samantha McClary to make the case for regenerative design. This fascinating conversation covers everything from toiletsto civic rights for all living creatures and why delivering buildings that are “less bad” for the environment just isn’t good enough anymore. Listen in for useful examples of great practice and a lessonon how regenerative design has to become the new normal if we are reallyserious about protecting our planet. Enjoy.

    50 min

  5. 26 JAN

    Workspace Unwired: The role of offices in making place

    In this episode of Workspace Unwired Matt Flood, development director and head of commercial development at Related Argent joins BCO chief executive Samantha McClary to talk about the firm’s Brent Cross project. The scheme, which is three times the size of King’s Cross, will deliver an entirely new settlement in the London borough of Barnet, including some 3m sq ft of offices.  It is a project that underscores the importance of workspace in creating place, says Flood, with offices bringing people, industry and income to a part of London that is lacking the appropriate office stock. Residential, student and retail play a major part in the development, but with sustainability and placemaking at the heart of what Related Argent is trying to deliver at the site, offices are essential. Listen in as Flood explains the purpose behind the project and why we all need to get better at showcasing our workspaces as vital infrastructure to drive growth and to deliver places where people want to be.

    37 min

  6. 12 JAN

    Workspace Unwired: Where social and commercial value collide

    In this episode of Workspace Unwired, BCO chief executive Samantha McClary sits down with Lucy Heller, chief executive of education charity Ark, and Guy Cochrane, senior asset manager for EdCity. EdCity, winner of the corporate workspace at the BCO London Awards in 2025, is the HQ of Ark, but so much more. It is the heart of a new community in White City and a building that seeks to deliver social value alongside commercial value. It is an office building that seeks to offer a “warm embrace” to anyone and everyone in the area, throwing open its doors to local residents, kids, care workers, and more while also delivering a corporate workspace fit for any business, big or small. Is EdCity the blueprint for deliverable social purpose? Listen in to find out.

    28 min

  7. 15/12/2025

    Workspace Unwired: How multi-use thinking may be the key to inclusivity

    In this episode of the BCO’s Workspace Unwired chief executive Samantha McClary is in discussion with the co-founder of Muslims in Real Estate and Cushman & Wakefieldsurveyor Yusuf Javaid to talk about the importance of delivering spaces that work for everyone, about how multi-use rooms are just as important as multi-faith rooms and how real estate as the potential to provide endless opportunities to everyone. Javaid shares his story of setting up Muslims in Real Estate, a network born out of the lack of Muslim representation in the real estate sector but that has grown into being an enabler of true inclusivity in the places and spaces we deliver. He shares his ambitions on how he wants to make sure MiRE to has a place at the table, so it can bring about tangible change in the industry and showcase how brilliant real estate can be when it has brilliant people in it and – spoiler alert – how you can find those brilliant people when you become a more inclusive, diverse and equitable sector. It is a fascinating listen that will almost certainly inspire you to think about the important role our spaces should and can play in driving inclusivity. If you'd like to find out more about Muslims in Real Estate, connect with the group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/muslims-in-real-estate/

    40 min

  8. 01/12/2025

    Workspace Unwired: Place, purpose and the public estate

    In this episode of Workspace Unwired Mark Bourgeois, chief executive of the Government Property Agency, sits down with BCO CEO Samantha McClary to talk about the transformationof the government estate, the work the agency is doing to deliver value and the challenges and opportunities he is discovering as the team works to right-size the estate. Bourgeois also shares his love for leadership and how a background in retail gave him the perfect grounding for a new career in place, which is - as we all know - what real estate is really all about. All that and so much more in your latest episode of Workspace Unwired.

    48 min
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About

Workspace Unwired is a fresh new podcast brought to you by BCO in which we delve into everything workspace and work places, from the people that make it happen, the places that it helps create, the planet that we need to protect as we redesign, retrofit and deliver fresh workspaces and the policies and practices that are impacting the sector today and tomorrow.

Information

  • Creator
    British Council for Offices
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © British Council for Offices
  • Show Website
    Workspace Unwired

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