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Positive Outcomes

3 Nov
06:53

Carbon reduction - From Zero to Hero

Submitted by Jonathan Berney, EC Harris, Head of Client Solutions, Asia

Hong Kong will be hosting a C40 cities workshop at the end of this week. I've attended the "carbon tale of three cities" conference hosted by Britcham where Hong Kong, London and Toronto were represented.  While Hong Kong represents 0.1% of the total global carbon emission, buildings are estimated to be responsible for more than 50% of Hong Kong’s carbon emissions. Some simple, tried-and-tested actions that can be implemented for... Read More

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Carbon reduction - From Zero to Hero
11 Nov
09:14

Virtual PC - A new era has begun...

Submitted by Wade Cruickshanks, EC Harris, Partner

With 500 million people expected to be urbanised over the next 25 years globally, this will fuel substantial demand both for residential and office space and we predict there will be an increasing blur between the 2… How will technology help to accommodate people sustainably and shape the workplace of tomorrow? Cisco predicts that within the next 2 years, virtual PC will be become main stream. Home tele-presence will be possible and will allow employees to move freely and work... Read More

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Virtual PC - A new era has begun...
11 Nov
08:55

IT gots the POWER!

Submitted by Wade Cruickshanks, EC Harris, Partner

I attended an industry lunch last week about intelligent buildings, energy management and sustainability... With IT only accounting for 2% of an average building's power consumption,  IT companies like IBM and Cisco are now challenging building owners  on what they are doing about the remaining 98%.  They are producing smart building technology from systems to virtual network connectivity to improve buildings efficiency and reduce the carbon foot... Read More

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IT gots the POWER!
19 Nov
09:02

Change & innovation... Alive and well in Banking CRE!

Submitted by Jonathan Berney, EC Harris, Head of Client Solutions, Asia

Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting the CoreNet breakfast briefing given by Rick Bertasi, Global Head of CRE at Deutsche Bank.   Key take away: SET YOUR STANDARDS: DB New Workplace is being established as the set of standards for DB around the globe. It includes " follow me printing" and log in to your desk top anywhere. This has driven an average of 1.2 FTE/ desk and 10.9 sqm/ workstation. However what was clear was the importance of the improvement... Read More

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Change & innovation... Alive and well in Banking CRE!
10 Feb
06:06

Putting Productivity Gains at the Heart of Corporate Real Estate

Submitted by Wade Cruickshanks, EC Harris, Partner

We are constantly striving to achieve greater productivity, especially in the current cost-conscious environment where businesses are looking to maintain cost savings and profitability gains and getting the most out of corporate restructuring. Here are few ways CRE can address the productivity challenge... Workplace: A well executed workplace strategy focused on the configuration and design of the workplace can increase productivity by 10% as well as reduce employee absenteeism. Successful... Read More

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Putting Productivity Gains at the Heart of Corporate Real Estate
15 Mar
01:05

Sustainable workplace strategy in Asia

Submitted by Jonathan Berney, EC Harris, Head of Client Solutions, Asia

Many organisations are not gaining the full benefit of sustainability and are focusing on the more urgent need for rapid cost reduction. There is a widespread sentiment that environmental and sustainability measures are ‘nice-to-haves’ that should be addressed in better times. In addition, culture in Asia often means space issued according to hierarchy rather than business and operating needs. However, by evaluating the overall contribution that property can make to reducing occupational... Read More

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Sustainable workplace strategy in Asia
30 Mar
08:31

Hong Kong... Victim of its own success?

Submitted by Wade Cruickshanks, EC Harris, Partner

Carrie Lam, Secretary for Development hosted a seminar on Office Development in Hong Kong last week.  John Tsang gave the opening address and several highly respected speakers from the industry. The seminar was held in response to a growing concern in the private sector: Hong Kong is facing a crisis of quality office space. Predictions are that the annual average supply of new office space over the next 3 years will be 50 % of the past 15 year annual average which will... Read More

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Hong Kong... Victim of its own success?
24 Mar
04:46

China... Bears Gather (not Pandas!)

Submitted by Oliver Jones, EC Harris, Head of Corporate Real Estate

The annual CoreNet Asia conference is always a test of market confidence and in Hong Kong today, the vibrancy of the region showed clearly as 400 delegates from corporate end users and service providers from all around the world gathered in Hong Kong.  The opening address therefore came as a bit of a shock to many as Dr Jim Walker of the economic research and consulting business Asianomics, presented a very bearish analysis of the prospects for China… Get 2 economists in a room... Read More

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China... Bears Gather (not Pandas!)
22 Sep
05:36

All about communication!

Submitted by Annabelle Taylor, EC Harris, Marketing manager

I went to the Real Estate Asset Enhancement Asia Conference 2 days ago and there was a very interesting session on 'how can commercial landlords introduce building upgrades and improve service offerings to office tenants' .  Vito Chiodo, Director of Property for Telstra in Australia, has demonstrated that the best way to undertake some major building refurbishment work,  Landlords need to include tenants in the process. By making the process more official with... Read More

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All about communication!
22 Sep
10:24

Will organisations like CoreNet Global always have a place in a fully connected world?

Submitted by Oliver Jones, EC Harris, Head of Corporate Real Estate

At the CoreNet Global Paris Summit earlier this week, I took part in the Pecha Kucha debate to discuss the relevance of structured and formal membership organisations and organised conferences in a socially connected world that is increasingly based on informal and impromptu relationships, connections, networks and work environments. No one can argue that the socially connected World is not increasingly becoming a part of our everyday lives.  Nonetheless, age, socio-economic backgrounds,... Read More

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Will organisations like CoreNet Global always have a place in a fully connected world?
16 Nov
16:47

The Future of the Office: Nimble and niche?

Submitted by Simon Rawlinson, EC Harris, Head of Strategic Research

The world moves much faster than the length of a typical office lease. Considering the speed of innovation in the workplace, it is remarkable that the office model remains recognisable and that it’s been able to successfully accommodate the widespread adoption of modern, flexible working. For investors in office development, forces of change are a threat. We can be absolutely confident that the rate of change will accelerate, but can we predict what the changes will be? Can forward... Read More

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The Future of the Office: Nimble and niche?
22 Feb
12:50

Selling Surplus Attractively

Submitted by Mark Budden, EC Harris, Area Leader, North Asia

Based on recent announcements released by the Chinese Government, 970 million sqm of residential units were sold in 2011, while 1.4 billion sqm of residential projects are currently under construction in China. This shows a significant surplus of residential units in the coming year. Due to these surplus, developers face increasing pressure to attract buyers. Developers are also feeling the heat as the China Banking Regulatory Committee has mandated five years for the collection... Read More

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Selling Surplus Attractively
24 Feb
10:19

Not So Cool!

Submitted by Annabelle Taylor, EC Harris, Marketing manager

As we are organising one of the Educational Site Tour at the CoreNet Global Summit next month in Singapore, I visited uTown to better understand their philosophy and map out what our session. Being part of the Green Mark district programme, the university is now Green Mark Gold certified. What a disappointment it was when i heard they were missing 2 points to be Platinum! The reason why they are... Read More

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Not So Cool!
28 Feb
08:04

Talent Fight Club

Submitted by Richard Warburton, EC Harris, Area Leader, South East Asia

I participated in a RICS Roundtable on Corporate Real Estate and attended a CoreNet Chapter Economics Briefing over the course of the last few weeks. Both events were held in Singapore and focused mainly on the Asia market.  The key message was that Asia is the place to be for the foreseeable future to take advantage of economic growth  - no surprises there but interestingly one of the key themes which did come out of both sessions was that ‘Access to Talent’ is... Read More

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Talent Fight Club
2 Mar
09:01

All about behaviour!

Submitted by Annabelle Taylor, EC Harris, Marketing manager

I’ve received an email from the Climateers this morning and they were asking people to go beyond the hour of the Earth Hour and set our own energy saving targets to reflect on and change our energy consumption habits. It really got me thinking and especially as a communication professional, you can never neglect the power of your employees! Involve your employees in saving energy. Don’t forget security guards and cleaners--often the lowest-paid support staff can make a... Read More

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All about behaviour!
22 Mar
00:56

Cut of foreign workers, impact on construction!

Submitted by Richard Warburton, EC Harris, Area Leader, South East Asia

I had a TV interview for Channel News Asia yesterday to talk about the cut of Foreign workers in the construction industry in Singapore and thought I'd share few highlights with you... Will there be an impact? There will be an impact as the construction industry accounts for 38% of all work permit holders (excluding domestic workers). Whilst acknowledging that transition arrangements are in place over next 2 years , we need to consider both the short... Read More

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Cut of foreign workers, impact on construction!
22 Mar
01:16

Views on 2012 February Property price in China

Submitted by Mark Budden, EC Harris, Area Leader, North Asia

Here are some of my thoughts on last month Property Price report in China. On property prices As China’s Premier Wen Jiabao recently reiterated, the central government is determined to continue its efforts to curb real estate speculation. These policies are expected to be maintained for the foreseeable future. As a result, I believe that China’s property prices will likely continue their downward trend, likely going into the... Read More

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Views on 2012 February Property price in China
27 Mar
08:41

Creating an adaptive organisation

Submitted by Jonathan Moore, EC Harris, Head of Property, Asia

The key driver for corporate property executives is to reduce operating costs, improve margin and to free up capital to allow for investment in new and more profitable markets. The boardroom agenda will become more agile and responsive, improving speed to market and allowing their business to execute plans efficiently and effectively, to grow and sustain revenues. Weighed down by an excess of property assets, the successful corporate will be those that manage their assets strategically,... Read More

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Creating an adaptive organisation
30 Mar
04:06

Leading by example

Submitted by Christopher Chew, EC Harris, Senior Project Manager

 As I walked pass the contractor’s site office this morning, lights were turned on, computers flashing graphics and the air-conditioning working hard (maybe since yesterday?!). And there’s hardly anyone in yet! Here’s a reality check - It is Earth Hour tomorrow and this is a gentle reminder we all need to watch out our energy consumption. This month also marks one year since the tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan. As we take a solemn moment... Read More

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Leading by example
12 Apr
19:25

The future is now!

Submitted by Mark Budden, EC Harris, Area Leader, North Asia

Just got back to Shanghai after a really thought provoking Corenet Global Summit in Singapore...  This years theme was Reimagine: Reorient, Reignite Reinvent and it really brought a lot of dynamic ideas to the sessions and forums.  Summit kicked off with Jonathan Pain with his Pain Report giving a passionate take on submerging and emerging countries.  It was great to hear someone with strong and positive views about China and how the emerging middle... Read More

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The future is now!
12 Apr
19:04

Concessions ease Foreign Worker Restrictions in Singapore

Submitted by Richard Warburton, EC Harris, Area Leader, South East Asia

A restriction on the employment of new foreign workers, introduced in the 2012 Singapore Budget, was a challenge on the Construction industry that I highlighted in my latest blog. The potential impact of this restriction has however been reduced over the last few days with an announcement by the Singapore Government that the maximum period of employment for existing unskilled work permit holders will be increased from six years to ten years. Allowing the retention of skilled operatives in the... Read More

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Concessions ease Foreign Worker Restrictions in Singapore
17 Apr
08:10

People, Performance, Place

Submitted by Jonathan Moore, EC Harris, Head of Property, Asia

I have attended a session on flexible workplace during the Singapore Corenet Summit last month discussing why 80% of respondents worldwide now offer flexible working including: improved productivity, reduced overhead, and an improved work-life balance for staff. It was very interesting to share how we can apply strategies to increase employee productivity and satisfaction and how to connect benefits of a wider talent pool to fast scalability of the business. Both public and private sector... Read More

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People, Performance, Place
24 Apr
09:43

Just around the corner or a distant dream?

Submitted by Andrew Macpherson, EC Harris, Partner

   I have attended a number of conferences recently  including RICS “Fit for the Future” Conference in Beijing. Opinions from these conferences together with feedback from our own clients regarding the current status of Property and Facility Management in China prompted me to write this blog. In regions with rapidly developing built assets and an apparent rush to beat competitors, it’s little wonder there is a focus on development management, and... Read More

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Just around the corner or a distant dream?