AECOM’s property newsletter for Europe ISSUE 7

A city enlightenedMoscow’s physical and digital

transformation

Ground-breaking practices

The benefits of ground investigation

Reaping rewardsSpanish REITs boost real estate market

The workspace evolution

How activity-based working is changing the modern office

The Insider – Alexandra Thorer

Welcome to our new edition of Cornerstone — a publication that gives you a concise insight into commercial property in Europe.

In this issue, read how Moscow is pushing for greater public / private partnerships to regenerate urban areas and develop smart city technologies, and find out in which way ground investigations can deliver added value to property investors.

Discover how Spain’s commercial property market recovered thanks to the government’s bold actions, and the benefits of activity-based working in modern workplaces.

This edition’s Q&A feature puts the spotlight on Alexandra Thorer, our Strategist+ Consultant. Flick to the end of the magazine to meet yet another of our many talented colleagues in Europe.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition of Cornerstone.

David Whitehouse Chief Executive, Continental Europe.

Foreword

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Expert contributors

A city enlightened Andy Snow Technical Director, Buildings + Places andy.snow@aecom.com

Ground-breaking practices Giannis Kallika Interface Manager giannis.kallika@aecom.com

Reaping rewards Laura Garcia Keller Senior Architect laura.garciakeller@aecom.com

The workspace evolution Ian Church Managing Director, Buildings + Places ian.church@aecom.com

Cover image: Sony Music office, Madrid, Spain

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A city enlightenedTargeted investment and political will is transforming the Russian capital into a smart and vibrant urban centre. And, writes Andy Snow, it promises to improve life for local communities.

B   ig, brash, and full of energy, Moscow is a city that knows how

to make an impression. For all its attractions — world-class museums, landmarks and a rapidly transforming city centre, to name a few — its downsides are impossible to ignore. Traffic-clogged roads, overbearing architecture and an unforgiving climate all take their toll on visitors and residents alike.

However, change is afoot. Moscow is in flux, turning itself around and transforming into a modern city. Suddenly, urbanism is the buzzword, as Moscow takes a new interest in the way it looks and works. The physical transformation that the city is experiencing matches how the city is embracing technological advances that are enabling Moscow to become a leading Smart City, using digital technology to manage city operations more efficiently and improve its citizens’ wellbeing.

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A challenging landscapeWith almost 17 million residents, Moscow is one of the most populous urban areas in Europe and the 16th worldwide —with an area of 2,900 sq. km, compared to 3,000 sq. km for Berlin and 3,700 sq. km for Paris. The planning of the city is monocentric, with a single city centre orientated around commercial and historic areas. Congestion and pollution are significant, with huge numbers of people commuting each day from the mainly residential outer districts of the city to the centralised commercial areas and back again.

For a city as immense as Moscow, commuting becomes an enormous roundtrip, highlighting a critical issue: amenities are simply too far away from each other to access

without transport. The city has had to prioritise vehicular movement for a long time now; the ‘Garden Ring’ — a 16-lane road that encircles the city centre — is living proof of this. At times it enables swift connections from one district to another, but at others it regularly transforms into a huge traffic jam, clogging up the entire city.

Moscow has made significant strides forward to address these issues over the past five years, and the positive change within the central parts of the city is undeniable. New parks, pedestrian streets and cycling routes have revitalised much of the centre, creating a vibrant street culture that matches any big leading international city.

Outside of the city centre however, Moscow has huge swathes of industrial land plots that are either in decline or already derelict. As late as 2000, 17 per cent of Moscow’s territory was current or unused industrial land. After many of the factories closed in the 1990s, land became derelict throughout much of the following two decades.

Knocking down wallsMoscow’s much-maligned “khrushchevki” apartment blocks — low-cost, concrete-panelled five-storey apartment blocks developed during former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s reign — are now officially living on borrowed time. The buildings, built en masse in the late 1950s, have already started disappearing in a series of

New parks, pedestrian streets and cycling routes have revitalised much of the centre, creating a vibrant street culture that matches any big leading international city.

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Largest global built up urban areas in 2016: top 10 + selected

Global Rank of Urban Areas by Population

Tokyo 4 400

New York 1 700

Delhi 12 000

Sao Paulo 6 900

Johannesburg 3 400

Manila 13 600

Moscow 2 900

Madrid 4 800

Seoul 8 800

Los Angeles 2 300

Berlin 3 000

Karachi 23 300

Istanbul 10 100

Sydney 1 900

Shanghai 6 000

Paris 3 700

Rome 3 500

Source: Demographia World Urban Areas, 13th Annual Edition, 2017

Mumbai 26 000

London 5 600

Jakarta 9 600

Population Density per km2

= 1000/km2

demolitions. But plans announced by the Moscow government this year are the most extensive yet, with up to 8,000 buildings, currently populated by approximately 1.6 million people, in line for bulldozing and new, higher density accommodation planned to replace them.

The huge areas of land made available by reclaiming both industrial land and khrushchevki apartments is decentralising the city and changing the way Moscow will function. Mixed-use developments further out of the city centre focus mainly around improved public transportation hubs. This leads to a new form of urbanism, changing the way people

interact with buildings and the spaces between them, such as parks and other infrastructure.

An urban awakeningThis new urbanism will provide a richer variety of options for residents. Better quality buildings and improved connections mean people can

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Cathegory UnitMoscow Barcelona London New York Sydney

Value/score Value/score Value/score Value/score Value/score

1 Density of the city Wi-Fi networkAccess points/

km20.36 5,79 No 9.51 No

2 Share of households with internet access % 80 70 94 67 88

3Usage and coverage of mobile packet communication for citizens of the city

% 98.6 65 95 99 80

4 Level of penetration on the fibre-optic network

Rating value 51 100 21 70 11

5 Number of Wi-Fi hotspots in private and corporate segments

Rating value 97 72 100 75 66

6Tariffs for broadband Internet connection as a percentage of GDP per capita

Rating value 98 93 99 100 94

7 Tariffs for mobile Internet as a percentage of GDP per capita

Rating value 91 74 86 89 95

TOTAL AVERAGE SCORE 3,6 2,4 3,3 3,7 2,4

Internet infrastructure: Moscow scores higher than Barcelona, London and Sydney

Accessability of fixed and mobile internet

Note: The above table is taken from a PWC study that examines international practice in urban data-based management and determines the direction of development of the data-riven cities (DDC) concept. PWC collected and analysed information about the technology used in 28 megalopolises of the world. The study then compares the most successful five cities of the implementation of DDC concept (Barcelona, London, Moscow, New York, Sydney).

Source: PWC Data-driven cities, 2016

4 and 5 points

2 and 3 points

1 point

walk rather than drive, creating desirable destinations outside of the city centre.

With the city hoping to emulate the successes of similar schemes around the world, Moscow has arrived at this point in its regeneration slightly later than other post-industrial cities. But this is even more reason for a successful development that learns from the good and bad points of industrial regeneration around the world.

Already, life in the Russian capital has become strikingly modern and, in conjunction with its urban renewal, Moscow has been working towards

becoming a smart city over the last six years. It has pioneered e-government, making public services digitally available to citizens; continued to develop an integrated public transport network as it seeks to ease traffic congestion; and is investing in technology to transform the city’s classrooms. Visitors to the city can easily see Moscow embracing technologies; people are glued to their tablets and smartphones and there is free wi-fi access in public spaces and vehicles. Device charging points are available at train stations and bus stops.

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Treading a new pathMoscow’s plan is to continue to push for greater public/private partnerships that will continue to regenerate urban areas and develop smart city technologies — such as virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence in the form of chatbots, and blockchain — a digital ledger that presents an irrefutable, transparent transactional record.

Partnerships between private tech companies and the government are driving these applications. There are numerous international design competitions for key urban initiatives within the city — from the redevelopment of the old industrial districts, to the restoration of the Moscow river and the ecology that surrounds it.

What is clear in Moscow’s case is that with the right investment and political will, cities can transform into smart, sustainable urban centres

Andy Snow andy.snow@aecom.com

with the potential to improve the way of life for local communities. Through the right strategy and optimal application of both modern urbanisation and technology, Moscow can involve and empower its citizens, and achieve a better quality of life for everyone.

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Ground-breaking practicesGround investigations gather key data for efficient project designs. It’s all about cutting costs without cutting corners, says Giannis Kallika.

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M ajor real estate investments are today subject to considerably

stricter financial scrutiny than ever. Project stakeholders, in some cases independently from other project partners, increasingly focus on analyses and studies that assess value and risk, as much as potential financial returns. And with the banking system demanding readily-liquid collateral for loans, and in some cases bankable cost-overrun guarantees, the financing of real estate development is becoming increasingly demanding.

In this challenging environment, investors have little option but to look for ways to cut costs to drive improved returns. With pre-construction costs being of particular consideration, as they are typically financed from equity rather than debt finance, minimising the extent of any ground investigation (GI) is something that typically comes under pressure. Developers considering such an approach should, however, think again.

From the topAs opposed to structural engineers, who identify the layout of buildings and the type of materials used to provide the overall structural integrity of a building, geotechnical engineers determine the condition of natural rather than fabricated structures, and their influence on the overall structural integrity of a building.

GI involves gathering data such as geotechnical parameters and groundwater levels, enabling engineers to make more efficient, effective design decisions for aspects such as slope stability, foundations, retaining walls and excavations. It is crucial in providing the right data to deliver reliable, efficient designs.

Multifaceted roleA well-considered GI can be cost-effective in the early stages of a development. Some developers are often wary of the number of boreholes required when designing projects. Used to collect samples that shed light on the chemical composition of the soil, they are

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crucial; sulphates and acids from the soil and groundwater can attack and damage concrete and have serious effects on structures. However, they are also costly. A good geotechnical engineer delivering a quality GI can keep these instances to a minimum.

A detailed GI also provides the necessary data that enables geotechnical engineers to develop an optimum design, which can reduce programme, drive better financial returns and allow risk to be managed more proactively. Recent developments now allow importing GI data into 3D models, reaping the benefits of Building Information Modelling for complex multi-phased projects by allowing the development of a single model containing all available data — from soil data to the lightning rod.

Another area where GI can play a pivotal role is at the optioneering stage of the development. This technique assesses alternative design options, analysing their long-term capital and operational costs to identify those with the lowest price tag over a project’s lifecycle. For example, in retaining wall design, an engineer can choose from a simple and cheap solution such as a sheet pile or gabion wall, to an expensive and complex solution such as gravity wall. The right data enables an engineer to deliver the optimum solution, considering all key factors.

A detailed GI can also protect clients and contractors in cases where anticipated soil conditions vary from the actual site conditions. For example, during the excavation for the construction of deep basements, the contractor can raise a claim for more money stating that the ground conditions were not those anticipated.

The results of the GI can work in favour of the defendant since they can prove that a skilled contractor should have had expected those conditions. This is a great example of the benefit of having a comprehensive GI when dealing with claims on unexpected ground conditions.

Put into numbersHaving sufficient data from the GI enables geotechnical engineers to select the most appropriate parameters, such as an average value for soil strength rather than a conservative one (see Figure A and B). With more data comes higher confidence in the selected value, but engineering knowledge and experience remains essential.

A report commissioned by the UK’s Institute of Civil Engineering claims that the average cost of a site investigation is approximately 0.21 per cent of project cost. For larger schemes, the final cost of construction was on average 17 per cent greater than the tendered sum due to inadequate ground investigation or the poor interpretation of results. Though achieving best value remains at the heart of successful property investment, the thoughtless minimising of cost seldom reaps long-term rewards.

An absolute necessityGI plays a vital role during the design and construction of commercial projects, and the need to invest well and early is paramount. Cutting corners limits the amount of data available to geotechnical engineers, a strategy that seldom drives best-in-class solutions, or improves long-term investment returns.

And while the aim of scaling back on GI may be to cut initial costs, in the long term it can end up costing much more — both contractually and commercially. A thorough GI typically repays on any investment many times over, manages risk and delivers better projects. Rather than a choice, performing a thorough GI is an absolute necessity.

Giannis Kallika giannis.kallika@aecom.com

Figure A: Limited GI

Elevation (metres

above ordnance

datum)

With more data comes higher confidence in soil strenght.

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51 49 47 45 43 41 39 37 35 51 49 47 45 43 41 39 37 35

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Design line Number of blows in Limited Ground Investigation

Number of blows in Comprehensive Ground Investigation

Number of blows in Standard penetration

test (SPT)

Figure B: Comprehensive GI

With more data comes higher confidence in soil strenght.

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Reaping rewardsThe Spanish government’s launch of SOCIMI and related favourable tax conditions has attracted billions in foreign investment. This has helped the commercial property market rebound and reach pre-crisis highs, says Laura Garcia.

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24%During the crisis, unemployment reached 24 per cent in 2012.

3.7%Gross domestic product (GDP) fell to 3.7 per cent in 2009.

8.9%Tax revenue and public spending decreased, leading to a public spending deficit of 8.9 per cent of GDP in 2011.

L ike many countries around the world, Spain was unprepared for

the international financial crisis of 2008. And it felt it more than most: Its economy went into a deep recession and the property market collapsed.

Financial and economic activity reduced drastically; gross domestic product (GDP) fell to 3.7 per cent in 2009 while unemployment reached 24 per cent in 2012. Tax revenue and public spending decreased, leading to a public spending

deficit of 8.9 per cent of GDP in 2011, exposing serious structural weaknesses in an economy dominated by construction.

Today, however, the dark moments of the crisis are decidedly over. Hotels are no longer struggling to maintain occupancy and the sector is awash with new developments across the country — green shoots of recovery, which are spilling over into the retail, office and even residential sectors. Spain is back, or at least almost.

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Desperate timesIn the immediate years prior to the crisis, Spain recorded a sustained period of growth, partly based on credit-driven, domestic demand partially fuelled by the adoption of the euro. Very low real interest rates generated an accumulation of high domestic and external imbalances, as well as an unprecedented real estate bubble. At its peak in 2007, the construction sector accounted for 16 per cent of GDP and 12 per cent of Spanish jobs.

When the crisis hit, the government attempted a number of significant reforms to get the economy going again. Initially, it increased public

2000 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 2017‘16‘15‘14‘13‘12‘11‘10‘09‘08‘07‘06‘052000

Investment in Spanish commercial real estate

€10B

€6B

€2B

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spending to bolster gross national product; however, this triggered a sovereign debt crisis due to high levels of public debt.

In 2012 when Mariano Rajoy’s centre-right People’s Party entered government, it introduced a number of austerity measures, including labour reform and tax increases and announced that all ministries would have to cut public spending by €8.9 billion — leading to numerous protests across Spain.

A shot in the armAn additional measure was to inject liquidity into the real estate market by creating Sociedades Anónimas Cotizadas de Inversión en el Mercado Inmobiliario (SOCIMI), companies that own, operate or finance income-producing real estate, either directly

or through the purchase of shares in other SOCIMIs. SOCIMIs are broadly equivalent to Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), a concept introduced in the US in the 60s.

SOCIMIs are public limited companies traded on a regulated stock exchange or on the Mercado Alternativo Bursatil (MAB), a multilateral trading system in Spain established in 2006 designed for less well-capitalised companies. The listing of a SOCIMI allows the trading of shares by investors, and a delisting from the stock exchange effectively means the loss of special tax provisions. A significant portion of the shares in these SOCIMIs belongs to international stakeholders.

However, it was not until 2013 when the Spanish government amended tax regulations, subjecting SOCIMI to zero corporate income tax that

they started to gain in popularity. In December 2017, there were 46 SOCIMIs listed on the MAB, including GPM, worth an estimated € 1.8 billion; Zambal, owner of a number of national and international large companies such as Vodafone, Gas Natural, BMW and Enagás; and Fidere, that manages real estate assets for Blackstone, one of the largest investors in the world.

In 2017, the top four Spanish SOCIMIs — Merlin Properties, Hispania Activos Inmobiliarios, Axiare Patrimonio and LAR España Real Estate — held almost €14 billion in real estate assets. Although these are Spanish companies, their stakeholders are recognised global investors, attracted by the consistent, resilient year-on-year growth the market and investment structure has typically offered.

2000 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 2017‘16‘15‘14‘13‘12‘11‘10‘09‘08‘07‘06‘052000Source: Savills

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SOME OF THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

SOCIMIs MUST MEET:

Minimum shared capital of 5 million euros fully paid

At least 80 per cent of the assets must

be urban properties dedicated for rental

Properties must be held for rental for at least three years

Required to distribute part of their rental income (at

least 80 per cent of rental income and 50 per cent of

gains from disposals) in the form of dividends.

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Leading the chargeTwo-thousand seventeen marked the highest level of foreign investment in Spanish commercial real estate since 2007. Investment volume reached around €8.9 million, with two-thirds of these transactions closed by non-Spanish buyers, mostly American and other European-based funds. Though SOCIMIs have higher running costs than some other fund types, if the fund is large enough, the tax advantages typically more than compensate for the higher running costs.

Spain is now reaping the rewards of its government’s bold changes. The creation of SOCIMI was timely, and their design satisfied the requirements of both international and domestic investors. The government’s changes in SOCIMI legislation helped the recovery of the commercial property market in many ways, and today — fuelled primarily thanks to non-domestic capital inflow —Spain is leading the recovery of the commercial real estate market across southern Europe.

Laura Garcia Keller laura.garciakeller@aecom.com

According to Armabex, non-domestic investors are currently controlling a significant proportion of the SOCIMIs that are trading on the MAB.

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The workspace evolutionActivity-based working started as a concept to save space. Today, it is behind the increase in flexible, collaborative working environments that experts say increases employee productivity and wellbeing.

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P ing-pong tables, healthy lunches and airy canteens seeped with

natural light. Beanbags, breakout areas and meeting rooms tastefully painted to sooth tired eyes. Today’s contemporary workspaces are becoming increasingly unfamiliar from the offices of the past. And they are becoming more popular.

Today’s typical office layout is based on the concept of activity-based working, a premise where no employee ‘owns’ or has an assigned workstation. Instead, the workspace provides employees with a variety of activity areas with different types of furniture, lighting and design.

Based on specific employee task, having different configurations can help learning, focusing, collaborating and socialising.

The modern workspace has come a long way since the original, economics-driven concept of the 1990s, which sought to eliminate overcapacity, reduce space requirements and cut real estate costs. But while the benefits of activity-based working are easy to measure from a space perspective, they are harder to quantify in terms of the benefits they bring to people and productivity.

Initially, the lack of such schemes meant that workplace strategists struggled to demonstrate tangible benefits with hard data. Studies to measure the effects of the workplace on people were also often not included in capital budgets. This made it difficult for clients to source funding for post-occupancy studies, leading to a lack of analysis as to how workspace affects productivity and wellbeing.

As more projects rolled out, driven initially by the economic advantages of being able to fit more people into a smaller space, experts were able to measure, value and further enhance

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such collaborative, flexible spaces. Employees also began giving positive feedback, demonstrating the broader, non-financial benefits of a forward-thinking workplace strategy.

Preparing peopleActivity-based working is not the solution to all workplace problems. A building alone will not change behaviour or drive productivity. Research shows it is not as effective for teams performing tasks that don’t require a high level of mobility in an office environment. Even in environments where it is appropriate, employee inertia may prevent increases in productivity.

Preparing people for the space is just as important as preparing the space for the people. If they are dropped into a new environment with no training,

they will behave as they did before. Introducing the right processes and behaviours are critical.

Education and a thoughtful, focused change management programme are essential. Engaging with the workforce helps capture the hearts and minds of employees and helps them adopt new ways of working and new behaviours more quickly. Longer term, this also helps to attract and retain staff.

Reflecting brands and communitiesDevelopers are also adding new features, giving particular focus to common spaces. Creating reception areas that act as vibrant public spaces, a trend seen across most European markets, is making

workplaces more externally focused and connecting them to the broader community.

There has also been a shift to branded offices — spaces that reflect the culture and values of an organisation, from wall art and quirky meeting rooms, to vinyl graphics and digital installations. Different occupiers require a different look and feel, hence the increasing demands for developers to offer spaces to contemporary tenants who prefer the blank canvas of ‘shell and core’.

This allows more tailored interior solutions such as open ceilings and flexible collaboration spaces. Though conversely this flexibility typically comes with increased cost and potentially longer delivery programmes.

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The new normalAs millennials come of age, the flexibility and sense of community that activity-based working provides has become an expectation for the workplace, rather than a privilege for certain teams or tiers of management.

And as these working environments become increasingly popular, real estate developers have little choice but to incorporate the infrastructure necessary to accommodate these requirements to remain competitive.

Originally, simply a means of squeezing additional value from existing corporate real estate portfolios, activity-based working

Ian Church ian.church@aecom.com

Shell and Core fit outDevelopers install the basic structure of a building, or the ‘shell’, typically including external works, cladding, base plant and completed common areas. Tenants then tailor the spaces to their needs. Such fit outs enable tenants to adapt offices to the new flexible working environments easier.

is ushering in a new culture of collaboration. As well as attracting and retaining the workforce of now and the future, it drives efficiencies that consistently deliver added value. Embracing less rigid, somewhat unconventional office environments is no longer a choice — engagement depends on it.

Sony Music office, Madrid, Spain

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The InsiderA child of globalisation herself, AECOM Strategy+ Consultant Alexandra Thorer tells Cornerstone how global, interconnected, and mobile work styles are the new normal — and how digitalisation is influencing traditional working models.

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Organisations are waking up to the relationship between people and the design of physical place. What are the key benefits of a more strategic approach for employers?Unlike offices a few decades ago — a sea of desks or cubicles structured hierarchically — today we tailor our environments to the way we work. This is a key transformation of traditional workplaces and reflects a trend towards individualisation in society, at least in the West.

With concepts such as activity-based working, offices now offer dedicated, optimised areas for collaboration, focused work, informal communication, etc. to meet employees’ individual needs. The individual consequently has the possibility of shaping his or her own space. Research shows that in modern work environments, people work more efficiently, are more satisfied and therefore more productive — a fundamental benefit for both employer and employee.

How are our work environments changing?Digitalisation and technology are increasingly important to modern ways of working. Whether its mobile phones, laptops, new tools or tech-infrastructure, the way we rely on technology directly impacts the way we work and our work environments. These transformations lead to more global, interconnected, flexible and increasingly mobile work styles, while the need for dedicated physical spaces slowly disappears.

With the adoption of new working concepts — home office, mobile working, flexible hours and desk-sharing policies —, and with digitalisation and the right technological structures, work environments are becoming more transient. I take myself as an example; I work in three different locations on a regular basis, but am not assigned to any desk. It comes down to grabbing your laptop or your phone and working from anywhere. All you need is access to Wi-Fi.

Sounds straightforward.It is — with the right planning and technology. Tools like Samsung DeX allow you to connect your phone to a screen and a keyboard, turning your device into a mobile hard drive — great for hot-desk working. At The Edge office building in Amsterdam, employees can customise their surroundings — for example by adjusting the temperature and light levels — look for colleagues or free desks via an app on their smartphones. Projects like this demonstrate the technological advances aimed at greater efficiency in the intelligent workplace.

Also at AECOM, our Strategy+ teams research on modern and more efficient ways of working and focus on the development of “the digital workplace” where technology, digitalization and modern work structures become one of the fundamental planning tools.

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We see this by simply using apps to find our way around a city or to use public transport. This goes further by relying on technology to operate and develop our cities. Smart cities are increasingly omnipresent and are no longer just a concept but a fundamental reality of today’s built environment. It is all interconnected, really.

Your PhD was on Chinese investment in African transport infrastructure. How will this influence the physical space of African cities?It is already affecting the physical space quickly. I was lucky to document the construction phase of the first sub-Saharan light rail transit network in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is mesmerising how in less than four years the entire city transformed its urban footprint due to the implementation of 36km-long railways.

Along with the city’s master plan and the ambition to turn Addis Ababa into a modern city, following the Chinese model — a common desire many cities on the continent share —, entire neighbourhoods are wiped off the map to make way for high-rise office and retail buildings as well as modern apartment complexes. In addition to physically transforming space, implementing a modern transportation network is also transforming the mobility of the rapidly growing number of city inhabitants.

As the city sprawls, new modes of movement emerge, which fundamentally affect the essence of space. Most importantly, the ties that bind China and African nations are paving the way for a new global, political and economic shift, which will affect sectors beyond construction.

Tell us something surprising about yourself.I guess I feel like a “child of globalisation” — my mother is from Ethiopia, my father is German. I, on the other hand, was born in the US and grew up in Munich and Addis Ababa. The exposure to such diverse countries and traditions awoke my interest in travelling and exploring new cultures, which led me to studying architecture and urban planning in Stuttgart and Tokyo, and researching China-Africa relations while based in the French part of Switzerland. After graduating, I crossed the so-called “Röstigraben” to Zurich; ironically that was the biggest culture shock I’ve ever experienced.

With growing technological advances and increased mobility, we have to incorporate individual needs to the planning of workspaces, making them more flexible, diverse and transient. From a design perspective, however, it is even more important to generate spaces with “human” identities, to create an almost home-like environment, where employees feel welcome working in the midst of constant movement. For example, there are offices with community spaces and lounges that resemble living rooms, power nap areas and table football where people can relax and regain productivity.

Can you expand such strategies beyond the workplace?Yes. As technology develops, it becomes an even bigger part not only of our work but also our daily lives. The past two, three decades have slowly introduced a new era described as “network society” where our social, political, and economic structures interconnect through information technology, digital networks and communications - early observations studied by sociologists Jan van Dijk and Manuel Castells. I really recommend their literature.

And as part of globalisation, technology and networks influence our cities. The concept of “global cities” relies on the social, political and notably economic relationships and networks between cities. These relationships then shape our cities, our life and working styles.

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Quick-fi re questions

Any tune that make my feet move

Music or literature?

Early bird or night owl? iOs or Android?

Favourite cuisine? Ideal holiday? Bike or car?

Sport arenas or art galleries?

Hero?

Red wine or white wine?LeLa Art

Gallery in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Won’t say no to a nice glass of

Cabernet Sauvignon

Japanese Anywhere with cultural history, bustling cities and

beautiful landscapes

Train

At times both iOS My grandfather for his incredible wisdom and

sense of justice

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About AECOMAECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations in more than 150 countries. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $18.2 billion during fiscal year 2017. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.

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The contents of Cornerstone are for general information. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, do not constitute advice and should not be relied upon in making (or refraining from making) any decision. The information contained within is provided on an “AS IS” basis, and all warranties, expressed or implied of any kind, regarding any matter pertaining to any information, advice or replies are disclaimed and excluded. Cornerstone, AECOM and its associates shall not be liable, at any time, for damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of any kind) arising in contract, tort or otherwise from the Cornerstone contents, or from any action taken (or refrained from being taken) as a result of using the Cornerstone contents. ©2018 AECOM

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