Tech startup, Jarvo, is readying itself to become the UK’s largest flexible workspace platform, opening up to users to allow them to list their private workspaces ahead of the official launch this spring. Jarvo, a new truly flexible workspace platform, has its official launch marked within the next 3 months, and will offer a hassle-free alternative for the work-from-home market that uses private homes and unused spaces to fuel workers’ productivity and creativity. With a distributed network of flexible and diverse design-led workspaces across the UK, spanning residential and public realms, such as unused galleries and theatres, Jarvo is set to disrupt the flexible working market with a focus on previously unused private and residential workspaces.. The trailblazer already has more than 4,000 people on the waiting list for launch to use the platform, with over 600 homeowners now signed up to list their space on the platform, with set targets of onboarding more than 20,000 workspaces in the next 12 months, including an expansion across Europe. The platform will be the first of its kind to offer out private residential workspaces and will turn unused creative spaces, free from distractions and without lengthy commutes, into new places for its users to work. As Jarvo doesn’t rely on flexible office space usually found in large city centres, users in any region will always be able to find a unique space close to home. As well as the benefits to the remote working community, the new platform will help users to generate extra income by listing their spare rooms as potential work-ready spaces, at a time when people are feeling the effects of rising inflation and utility costs. Each space or private home put forward for the platform must be design-led, to encourage creative workers from around the UK to thrive. Before public listing, each new space will be carefully vetted by the Jarvo team to ensure it’s an aspirational working environment, which includes super-fast WiFi, power outlets, ergonomic chairs and plants, and each user will have the opportunity to leave a review of the space and host after use. Workspaces can be booked on-demand, with daily bookings available, flexible terms and rates to suit every budget. People can book a workspace via online payment, in less than 60 seconds, with plans to incorporate crypto payments via Coinbase in the near future. Founded at the height of the pandemic, in 2021, after CEO Daniel Hillman’s frustration at a lack of flexible workspaces outside of big city centres, Jarvo is evolving the future of remote work with a sustainable solution for the global workforce. Daniel Hillman, Founder and CEO at Jarvo, commented: “Jarvo has been 8 months of hard work and dedication to get the platform off the ground and I’m looking forward to embarking on our ambitious growth journey. What started out as a solution to my own problem, as a consumer with no access to a flexible workspace close to my home, has since grown into an exciting opportunity to revolutionise the entire sector with a trusted, sustainable, and community-driven platform. “One of our aims with Jarvo is to ensure everyone is free from those lengthy commutes with access to a workspace that’s just a 15-minute walk or cycle from their own homes. We are experiencing the biggest shift in the way we work since the industrial revolution, and our vision going forward is to create a way of working that is decentralised, diverse and truly sustainable.” Marilie, an early Jarvo host who signed up and listed her home workspace said: “Deciding to put our spare workspace on Jarvo was a no-brainer, it meant others within the local community who were struggling to work from home had the opportunity to work somewhere and I earned extra income. Win-win!” Jarvo is set to launch in the coming months and already has a waiting list of over 4,000 users. Everyone who signs up to Jarvo’s waiting list ahead of launch will receive token rewards, which will provide future financial utility benefits for the early members. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction Industry News

Riwal has become the latest Sustaining Member of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), making it the first rental and training company on a list that includes Alimak, AON (formerly Henderson Insurance Brokers), APEX and Haulotte. With headquarters in Dordrecht, Netherlands, Riwal was founded in 1968 and has grown into a major rental and training company specialising in working safely and efficiently at height in 16 territories, including the Middle East and India. “Riwal has long been an active member of IPAF, with representation on various committees and councils, as well as CEO Pedro Torres being a member of the IPAF Board, so to have them as a sustaining member is the perfect way of consolidating our efforts to promote our shared goal of enhancing safety in powered access worldwide,” said Romina Vanzi, IPAF’s Head of Regional Development. “It will be particularly beneficial for IPAF to have a member engaged in equipment rental and training in both established and emerging markets around the globe join the growing list of IPAF Sustaining Members.” Sustaining Member is a category of IPAF membership designed to recognise and sustain IPAF’s strategic initiatives and overall contribution to improving safety and productivity in powered access worldwide. “The past two years have demonstrated just how important it is to work together for the collective benefit of safety in our industry, and we’ve worked especially hard to emphasise the value that IPAF offers members – as a point of reference for safety and technical guidance, developing and implementing standards, advocating key industry issues to government bodies, or offering vital business intelligence and support to our members, particularly during uncertain times,” added Peter Douglas, CEO & MD of IPAF. “IPAF exists to support its members, and can’t progress our strategic objectives without them, including improving global incident reporting and developing our training programme and safety & technical guidance in response to what accident data is telling us. We are delighted that Riwal has decided to join Haulotte, APEX, AON and Alimak in recognising this by committing to be a Sustaining Member of IPAF.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction Industry News

The past 25 years have seen the construction of a huge number of new buildings, raising questions about fire safety features and property value. One has to question why fire safety has not been held in the same regard as a buildings design, aesthetics or ‘green’ credentials. The optimistic belief that a fire “will not happen to me” could explain why businesses are not always considering the real impact of fire and its consequences. They underestimate the direct financial impact on both the property and the business, and the time it takes to recover from a fire. This all can have an impact on business value over time. A business property that is well-protected in terms of fire protection and safety will have a far greater intrinsic value, yet the ‘market’ does not seem to value this.  When you look at the value of a property, it’s important to think about performance over time. We use metrics, data and evaluations to do this. However how does this include considering risk and events that may happen, like fire. Compare this to an EPC rating, which is seen as a key indicator of energy efficiency of a building and energy costs. This information has to be provided when a property is sold. The lack of a rating would be questioned and the value of the property is impacted if the information isn’t provided. The same is not always true for fire safety, there are no fire safety ratings of buildings. If fire safety information is not available it does not always lead to questions. It should do and this is perhaps a more prominent item for certain buildings today. There are moves afoot for selected buildings to have such information through discussions of items like a Golden Thread. However this needs to spread to a wider set of buildings. Fundamentally we need to be asking how the building delivers fire safety and is protected against such events, and where is the information to support this? This should become a valuable piece of information for any owner and similarly have a negative impact on the value if not provided across all buildings. For example, if one office block has sprinklers, fire alarms, documented maintenance, plans etc and another doesn’t have sprinklers then the sprinkler-protected building is clearly worth more. If nothing else it has more equipment. The value of that equipment can be seen functionally but it is also an investment in terms of fire safety and protection of the property over time. A sprinkler investment means that if anything goes wrong, then you’re likely to have more of that asset left afterwards. A well-protected property therefore has an intrinsic value. This also raises the question as to the value of the property that has been sprinkler- protected over time. Some would argue that value only comes to pass when you stop something bad happening. The analogy to airbags would be a good example, as you hope you won’t ever have to use them. Interestingly, airbags were developed in the early 1950s and while they are a feature of all modern cars, this safety solution is still not a legal requirement – but a car could not receive a suitable safety rating without one. Today, automatic fire sprinklers are not widely used in the UK partly because the regulatory guidance rarely prescribes their use and partly because even when prescribed they are often ‘value engineered’ out. Yet automatic fire sprinklers prevent large fires because they activate automatically over a fire, controlling or even extinguishing the blaze before the Fire and Rescue Service arrives. They therefore protect the lives of those in the building and the firefighters who attend an incident – but they also prevent significant damage or destruction of a building by fire. The misconception surrounding the cost of sprinkler systems can be dispelled by looking at the true costs of a building over its lifespan. Some would say that if a fire does not happen the cost of the sprinkler system has been wasted. However, thinking about airbags, we do not make the same arguments if they are not used during the ownership of a car. Why, for example, deliver a warehouse, factory or school as cheaply as possible but leave out fire safety measures; only to find five years later it is lost completely due to a fire event, resulting in greater costs? This goes back to a fundamental issue, that owners are perhaps not fully considering the potential for a fire during the life of a building. It is often manifested in not valuing what they own in terms of the potential to replace property and thinking that they are going to recover from a fire a lot quicker than they do. We need to place risk into context and understand the impact, so that what is at stake is understood and planned for appropriately. Clear outcomes in the face of fire can then be defined. An inescapable item is that the inclusion of a sprinkler system can prevent major financial and equipment losses, containing what could be a potential major disaster and ensuring it is only a minor inconvenience. Fire is indiscriminate and inexplicable, but that doesn’t mean actions can’t be taken to prevent and control it when it occurs. As warehouses and similar industrial buildings are likely to proliferate in the coming years, now is the time to think of how, and why, we should protect these valuable assets which may not be glamorous, but nonetheless are vital as part of the UK’s business infrastructure. Protecting the value of such properties and those who work within them. By Iain Cox, Chair of the Business Sprinkler Alliance Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction Industry News

A leading North East design company is harnessing cutting edge technology to bring projects to life for clients, using fully immersive virtual reality. Space VR was set up by a group of illustrators who have over the years created computer generated imagery for projects, mainly within the leisure and architectural industry. But now they are using their experience in creating 3D images not only to offer the opportunity to get inside the actual space they are creating, but to also move into new areas such as health care. Space VR, based at Boldon Colliery, Tyne and Wear, was set up by Jeremy Ramsay, Marc Hardy and Michael Simmons, who also run leading interior design company, Space ID. The growth in VR and its widespread applications across a whole host of sectors has led to it being set up as a stand-alone company, able to offer clients a unique visual perspective. Jeremy and his team create CG models which are then run through a special computer programme, resulting in an avatar which can be guided through the space. “The experience is further enhanced with the ability to fully interact with the space, changing materials, switching on lights and even opening doors, all in real time,” he said. “It means clients can actually get inside the project and get a completely immersive experience. Virtual reality is changing the way the industry works, allowing an immediate understanding and functionality to the built environment – without the need for costly site visits or part constructions. “We are proud of the fact that we are really leading the way in the use of VR across so many different applications. It’s a very exciting new world and one which means we are constantly growing and improving the level of service we are able to offer our clients.” Along with working across all areas of the hospitality and construction industry, Space VR has also recently created animations for artificial limbs and replacement joint systems for health care. “There are so many applications and we are working with the top VR technology research and development in the country so we can confidently say we are one of the first companies to be able to introduce this new technology to our clients,” said Jeremy. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction Industry News