One conversation kept coming back throughout BCO 2026 in Edinburgh.
Not about AI. Not about retrofit. Not even about viability.
It was this:
“Are we designing buildings for people, or are we designing them for the industry?”
For years, we’ve measured success by what we build. Grade A specification. Accreditations. Sustainability credentials. Smart technology.
All important.
But I’m not convinced they’re the things occupiers value most.
Today’s customers don’t just want office space. They want a workplace that helps people do their best work:
- Can I find a desk?
- Can I collaborate with my team?
- Is there somewhere outside to take a break?
- Can I grab lunch without leaving the building?
- Does this feel like somewhere I actually want to spend my day?
They’re simple questions, but they change how we think about design.
One of the biggest messages I took away from the conference was that customer experience is becoming the biggest differentiator in commercial property.
We’re moving away from simply delivering buildings and towards creating experiences. That shift matters because the economics are becoming harder.
Build costs remain high. Planning is more complex. Investors want certainty. Occupiers are taking longer to commit. Average lease lengths continue to fall.
The answer isn’t simply to build more.
It’s to build smarter.
That means engaging occupiers earlier, understanding what they genuinely value and challenging ourselves where we’ve fallen into the trap of designing for “perfect” rather than designing for purpose.
AI and data in the built environment
There was also plenty of discussion around AI and data. What struck me wasn’t how much data we have. It’s how little of it we’re really using. Post-occupancy performance, customer feedback, workplace utilisation, and operational insights all have the potential to improve future developments. AI will undoubtedly help us unlock that value, but only if we’re asking the right questions in the first place.
The phrase I kept coming back to was one I heard during the conference:
“You can’t improve what you don’t measure.”
For me, though, measurement shouldn’t stop at energy use or occupancy rates. We should also be measuring how people feel.
Because ultimately that’s what determines whether a building succeeds.
Reimagining thriving places
As contractors, developers and clients, we often talk about creating places.
Perhaps the better question is:
“Are we creating places people choose to come back to?“
Because if people actively choose to spend time in our buildings, we’ve probably got the balance right between commercial reality, customer experience, and long-term value.
That feels like the challenge for all of us over the next few years.
Not simply to build better buildings.
But to build places people genuinely want to be.
