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The current Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963 (OSRP) requires that an office building's stairways must be able to evacuate a total occupation figure based on a density of 4m2 (43 ft2) per person lettable area. This requirement imposes an unnecessary increase in the core area in new office developments—resulting in loss of lettable area and imposition of core elements (stairways) in otherwise continuous, easy‐to‐plan office space. It is, therefore, essential to test the accuracy of the 4m2 per person requirement by analysing the way in which space is allocated in a typical office building and how different organisations use office space.

Surveys of corporate real estate executives in North America and elsewhere in the world indicate significant shifts in their thinking in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Aside from the predictably much greater concern with planning for emergency escape from buildings, executives indicated that the greatest shifts in their thinking centred around issues of security of information technology and communication systems; greater use of teleconferencing and video‐conferencing (reducing travel); and more new ways of working such as homeworking, satellite and neighbourhood work centres, and hotelling. Along with such changes in practice, executives also indicated the desire to create stronger communities within their organisations, even as they also expect further to disperse their activities across locations. There is a slight shift in preference away from downtown locations and a much higher overall concern with occupancy control over the spaces that they occupy. In North America especially, there is a shift away from occupancy of high‐profile named buildings. Overall the surveys indicate that corporate real estate executives are moving ahead with distributed work‐location strategies, increasing their reliance on virtual technologies for collaboration, and re‐thinking the branding of their physical assets and the nature of community in their organisations. All of these changes further indicate the increasingly integrative role of corporate real estate within wider business strategy and a closer alignment of corporate real estate activities with human resources, organisational development and information technology.

Office workers are hardly ever involved in the design of their buildings. Buildings, therefore, do not match the needs of the users. Today, more and more designers and managers are involving users in the design process. This paper describes different approaches to user involvement and the way ICT can be useful for each level of involvement. ICT can be used as a tool to inform users, to facilitate the participation of users and to create commitment. The paper ends with a discussion on when and how user participation and ICT should be used.

The purpose of this paper is to outline key changes occurring within office occupier businesses that will have a medium- to long-term impact upon the nature and design of the office workplace, and the implications for the corporate real estate manager.

The paper is based upon research involving detailed consultations with corporate occupiers in the City of London, as well as representatives of the property supply chain. This has been developed here to include practical experience and to relate the lessons of the work directly to corporate real estate management.

The findings suggest major changes are taking place in the demand profile of office occupiers, in terms of both quantitative and qualitative demand for space. There are a number of practical implications arising from the findings, not least the need for investors to consider the appropriateness of current standards for base building design and fit-out in contemporary offices, and the need for corporate real estate management to adapt.

The paper contains a number of implications arising from the changing workplace for the corporate real estate management profession.

The paper reflects direct practical experience and the output of primary research and consulting. It is also highly relevant: while much has been written about agile working, much less has covered the practical implications for building design and corporate real estate management.