Cambridgeshire workers place more importance on their office having a strong internet connection than anywhere else in the UK, according to the latest survey released by international real estate advisor Savills and the British Council for Offices (BCO). The report was entitled ‘What Workers Want’ and revealed that workers in Cambridgeshire believe that good quality wireless internet access is the second most important factor, second only to the length of commute. Nationally, 74% of office workers said that the length of commute was ‘important’ or ‘very important’, compared with 81% in Cambridgeshire. It is perhaps unsurprising that workers care about the length of their commute as debates continue regarding the city’s problematic infrastructure. However, there is less concern from Cambridgeshire workers about good public transport connections with only just more than 50% of workers in the area citing this as important, compared with 71% throughout the UK. Directly resulting from these issues, Cambridge has one of the country’s biggest percentage of cycle commuters, which is why 34% of the city’s workers see bicycle storage as important, second only to Bristol in regarding this as important. The poll of 1,132 office workers throughout the country investigated the factors that employees regard as most important and the extent to which they believe that their current environment satisfies those needs. At present, there seems to be some mismatch between what workers in Cambridgeshire see as important compared to current levels of satisfaction. Savills’ Director of Research, Steve Lang, commented: “Length of commute is a common concern across the whole of the UK, but it is interesting to see that access to good quality wireless is more important in Cambridgeshire than anywhere else in the UK. Lang added that the city itself has one of the highest volume of knowledge intensive firms in the country, so quiet space and a strong internet connection are going to play a large role in the day to day running of these businesses.

The BBC has unveiled an innovative, architect-designed mobile recording studio, which is set to tour the UK. The studio was commissioned for BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Listening Project’, with the chosen design selected as part of an international design competition organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). JaK Studio, an architecture firm based in London, designed the winning studio in conjunction with innovation consultancy Seymourpowell. The Listening Booth takes the form of a speech bubble and will tour the UK to record and share conversations with people throughout the country to be broadcast by the BBC. The booth is lightweight and aerodynamic, inspired by the iconic Airstream ‘caravan’ and has been crafted on a standard trailer base. Behind the plain polycarbonate ‘skin’ of the speech bubble is an interactive light sculpture, which has been made by Light IQ, which reacts and responds to conversations that are taking place inside. The inside of the booth is adorned with sophisticated acoustic treatments including perforated ceiling rafts, insulation, acoustic furniture, which have been integrated carefully into the design. This has resulted in the creation of a warm, accessible and intimate environment where people can feel comfortable, uninhibited and relaxed to open up their conversations to the nation. Stephen Hodder, RIBA President, commented: “The Listening Project Booth is a brilliantly witty project and a great piece of product design. It was the unanimous choice of our competition judges and I’m sure will inspire those who see it on the road and share their stories within it.” Meanwhile, Radio 4 Commissioning Editor and one of the judges on the panel that awarded the design commission to JaK Studio, Tony Phillips, said he was delighted to be sharing the Listening Booth Project with the world. He added: “The idea behind the Booth was to bring The Listening Project to people up and down the country and to create a unique and welcoming place for them to share significant moments in conversation. “The JaK Studio design achieves exactly that and is a fitting beacon for The Listening Project as it moves into its next phase.”

Building services contractor NG Bailey has seen its operating profit treble in the last year, while its turnover grew by 12%. Up to the year ending February 26, the firm’s operating profit reached £6 million on a £408 million turnover, which was a margin of 1.5%. At the end of the year, the company’s secured order book increased by 14% to a record £673 million and, with no borrowings from third parties, investments of over £75 million and net assets of £116 million, the directors believe that the company is in a strong place financially. In the last four year period, NG Bailey has pursued a strategy of diversification which has seen it balance its portfolio of work across services (IT, energy and facilities management), large-scale infrastructure projects and traditional building construction. The last financial year saw the company win £500 million worth of new work, which included significant contracts with Land Securities for its real portfolio and to help it cut down on its energy use within several of its commercial properties. Furthermore, the firm picked up a £50 million contract with Fujitsu over the next five years to support its work in transforming communication technology and the delivery of information throughout the Ministry of Defence. There is also a £460 million joint venture contract with Balfour Beatty in the pipeline for the electrical package for EDF’s proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant if it does eventually get the green light. David Hurcomb, Chief Executive at NG Bailey, commented: “Five years ago we embarked on a strategy to diversify our business and achieve an equal split of work across services, infrastructure and building construction. Our operating performance demonstrates that our strategy has worked. Hurcomb added that the company is now focussed on retaining this split and that given their industry-leading expertise and focus on high quality customer service, this is achievable.