THE office industry Bible, the British Council for Offices guide to specification, is going to be interpreted more liberally when it comes to entries for the 2017 awards.
A number of changes to the rules will streamline the prestigious competition, which highlights the best office projects in the country.
Chairman of the judges in Scotland, Stephen Lewis of Lanarkshire based HFD Group, said the intention was to recognise some of the changes taking place in the sector and make the contest easier to enter, while still staying true to the integrity of the respected benchmarks.
He said: "We are keen that people don’t feel hamstrung by a guide, because it is not prescriptive, it is not mandatory, it is there for good reason, but there can always be good reasons why you seek to deviate from it and we are keen to understand that."
Lewis said it was hoped to achieve more recognition for innovation: "We want people to be positive and proud and bold in their approach to office design.
"This may be just a small element of a larger project – it is difficult to give people a steer on what innovation is but you know it when you see it."
The quirky defurbished style of some of today’s offices will be eligible, and sustainability likely to feature heavily, with Glasgow alone starting 2016 with ten refurbished or recycled workplace projects.
Other changes include the small office project category reduced to 1500 sq m, relaxation to include projects with ‘significant’ office use, and the possibility of a regional chairman’s award for a project, person or company that has done something outstanding.
The deadline for entries for the 2017 awards is November 25.
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