Monthly Archives: October 2009

Oct 14 2009

Architecture – the great divide

After the USA trip it was clear how the group of six of us from the Sheriff’s Commission had very different ideas about architecture.

Today we added a few more attractions to our list (31 in the USA!).

They were The Tate Modern, The Globe Theatre, The Golden Hinde and Borough Market.

So, you can take The ship out of the equation – it was good, but £6 for a ‘self tour’ seems a bit steep. But I liked the idea of kids Pirate parties – and even better ‘sleep-overs’. How cool would that be? Not that we had such things when I was a kid! (adult sleep-overs?- now there’s an idea)

But back to the plot. Tate Modern is just a brilliant re-use of a building in my view. The ramped entrance and space is just great. Big spaces for big ideas. And Borough Market is a remarkable space with a mixture of very old traditional stalls dating back over 100 years to some well executed modern additions which don’t intrude, but add to the area. The coffee shop was ‘open’ and inviting. It had a sort of grungy feel which we saw done so well at Chelsea Market in New York and at the Farmers Market in Los Angeles.

Great open fronted coffee shop at Borough Market London

Great open fronted coffee shop at Borough Market London

And then there was The Globe. Which was (in my humble opinion) just about as close to ‘Disney-fied’ architecture that you can get. It redefined the word pastiche. I was told it was well researched and was a true to the original as they could have made it. But it wasn’t – and that is surely the point. The walls were timber and render fill panels – but they were all perfect. Perfectly straight and neat. And in the 16th Century did they didn’t build like this? No. Precisely. I thought it was awful – but other member of the group thought it was good. But then they didn’t like Frank Gehry’s EMP Building in Seattle. Luddites roam freely – beware!

The Globe Theatre London - pastiche architecture

The Globe Theatre London - pastiche architecture

Oct 10 2009

National Politics – the sport of fools?

I don’t usually get too involved in Politics. I am not sure why really – it’s something to do with the fickle nature of the process I think.

A property manager generally acts for landlords – and I look after many properties for landlords. At the moment quite a few are vacant. One of the recent changes to legislation relates to the change in Rates relief to vacant properties introduced on Browns watch.

Prior to April 2008 legislation allowed industrial property owners to obtain 100% rate relief for unoccupied buildings. Commercial property owners received 100% rate relief for the first three months and 50% relief thereafter. From April 2008, industrial property owners have obtained 100% rate relief for only the first six months that a building is vacant. All other empty commercial properties have three months’ rates relief before incurring the full amount.

The Treasury has estimated that the changes will generate £900 million in 2009-10.

The legislation ‘bit’ just as the market was in freefall.

Gordon Brown said in the number 10 response to an epetiton “Re-introducing the previous relief from rates for all empty property would cost £950m and would remove the incentive to re-use commercial property.”

I am not sure what incentives landlords want to re-use commercial property? Have the Government not noticed that the market is a bit, er, flat?

So, in April, the Tories step in and agree with the British Property Federation and say that the change was damaging jobs.

Just as the Tories look like getting into power, they slip out a slightly different press release this week at Conference. It seems that it is owing to the “poor fiscal position that Britain is currently in”.

I wonder what has changed in 6 months? The market hasn’t!

So, we are back where we were; an easy tax to collect. A tax which penalises owners who (generally) are not looking at keeping the property they own empty in the hope of getting more tomorrow (that can work in a rising market). And buildings being demolished which are quite serviceable. New buildings will eventually go up – but don’t hold your breath. And did anyone notice that it is not very green to build a new building when you can alter / refurbish an existing one? Even some of the recently built ‘green buildings’ are virtually empty – not through a lack of effort or desire.

I could live with a bit more honesty on their part – Gordon Brown should have just said – “we can’t afford to rescind the legislation”. Don’t imply that the market has any part to play in the decision – or that it needs tweaking to react!

Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river. Nikita Khrushchev (1894 – 1971)

Oct 7 2009

Quality – a benchmark

My late father always said, “you get what you pay for” – and I have never forgotten that.

Quality seems to have been put on the back burner sometimes over the last few years – particularly as money has become tight. And this is not always a good thing.

I was in Leeds this week – looking around the excellent Granary Wharf scheme – being built by ISIS. It is excellent. The finishes in the apartments is superb. The materials used are of the highest quality and there has been no ‘value engineering’ (a Quantity Surveyors term for ‘cost cutting’). Despite the fact that the market was moving away from the developer they stuck to their principles.

Granary Wharf Leeds

I was reminded as we walked around of the quality we witnessed on our USA Trip with the Sheriff of Nottingham when we found ourselves one night on a brand new subway car. Maybe it was an odd thing for us to be looking at – but the finishes on handrails were excellent – and the term ‘aircraft grade’ was made. These things were built to last!

And so this brings me to a view I have about property management – People look after what’s been looked after.

I have seen evidence of this over the years – if you give someone (or some group) a second rate product / building they will treat it like a second rate product / building. There is little incentive for them to pass on the building to the next cohort. There is no legacy in their minds.

Today I saw no sign of graffiti or damage. Yes, there is on-site management and security in place – but we know that this doesn’t stop those criminally minded. There was no litter – I think people are embarrassed about dropping it.

So the message is that we need to deliver quality in our buildings and maintain that quality through active management . This then usually means users look after the buildings and surroundings. A self-fulfilling prophecy…

Oct 3 2009

Carbon Reduction – changing behaviour

Most people who know me would suggest that I am not the most ‘green’ person on the planet– primarily attributable to the car I drive. I make no apology about this – I like fast cars and I can’t afford a Tesla!

But the label I attract is a little unfair as I do try to do my bit. Honest

I have some issues about the statistical ‘evidence’ we are given. If you Google ‘green issues’ and try to establish where Co2 emissions come from you get very different answers.

It does seem to be fairly well established that Buildings account for half of all carbon emissions. Whereas only 2% comes from planes. So flying is ok then? And my car is much smaller than a plane…

Lies lies and statistics? But buildings and their energy consumption come high up the tree on most of the surveys.

But there is another reason to look at carbon footprint. Reducing the carbon output of a building normally has a direct correlation with costs. One of my clients pays over £1m per year on his electricity / gas. What was interesting was that he can negotiate the best rates (being a large user) but much of the use is out of his hands. People leave lights on!

What is needed is a change of behaviour.

One of my friends, Ben Randal, is running a company in Nottingham who are concentrating on just that. It is a start up company based at BioCity.

Outerarc have developed some clever software which allows measurement in real time of energy usage and then displays the information graphically. The really clever bit though is that the system then can make recommendations – and ‘nudge’ users into changing behaviour.

Outerarc display - Castle College

Outerarc display - Castle College

There is a great video on Ben’s website – click on Carbon Cup TV

No.1 NSP and The Highfields Automotive and Engineering Training Centre

No.1 NSP and The Highfields Automotive and Engineering Training Centre

Real time measurement is already in place at two buildings I manage – No1 NSP and Castle College’s Highfields Automotive and Engineering Training Centre – where the Toyota Academy is based.

It is early days but the systems are generating a lot of interest – and hopefully we can demonstrate cost savings and a carbon reduction.

Not sure I need Ben to put his system in my car just yet!

Oct 2 2009

Networking – food for the soul

At the East Midlands Property Dinner awards 2009 the firm was lucky enough to win ‘agent of the year 2009’ – presented by sponsors Invest in Nottingham.

Tim Garratt, Lorraine Baggs & Matthew Hannah collect Agent of the Year Award

Tim Garratt & Matthew Hannah collect Agent of the Year Award from Lorraine Baggs

The event was very good (we were in a good mood!) and was presented by compere Giles Brandreth. A good compere holds an audience and Giles did this brilliantly. His irreverent but topical comments were very good. And relevant.

It was at the end though that I thought he excelled.

After all of the celebrations he took two minutes to say something that struck home. The essence of the talk was that Dinners were more than just a boost of ego’s, but rather an opportunity to meet people. And that meeting of people (networking the marketers would have it) is critical to business. It is important that we know who we are dealing with, that we like them and we trust them. And the internet or emails (or even blogs!) cannot do that.

We are a social species and we rely on contact with other human beings.

I was reminded of a story I was told some time ago about a very large Insurance company who, once per month took all of the staff to a venue so they could talk to each other. They communicated all day, every day, but vie email. The company recognized that this was not always a good thing – and that ‘putting a face to a name’ was very important.

I was impressed with Giles ending poem:

From quiet homes and first beginning,
Out to the undiscovered ends,
There’s nothing worth the wear of winning,
But laughter and the love of friends

Business friends have a true place in our lives – and can make the difference between a menial job and one which is self-fulfilling.

Getting out of the office can be good for the soul!