Why high quality outdoor spaces are key to the success of next generation offices
High quality and the provision of amenities are the key drivers for the creation of commercially successful office buildings and developments in what has become a polarised property sector.
This is evident from a recent report by CBRE, one of the world’s largest real estate firms. Its assessment is that a new office market is emerging in which quality is increasingly being sought by occupiers, even to the point of demand is outstripping supply in London and the South East of England. This contrasts with the market for lower grade office space where there is an over-supply, and this has driven the trend for repurposing and converting offices which have become difficult to let or sell into uses such as residential or hotels.
There are a variety of reasons why businesses are increasingly attracted to quality and amenitised offices. Amongst the most important is a desire to create an attractive place to work, where employees are engaged, productive and enjoy the social interaction that they lack through hybrid working or working from home (WFH) full time.
Meeting the needs of almost 12 million office workers
The CBRE estimates that there are around 11.8 million people in the UK working in office-based roles. And whilst there has been a noticeable decrease in the proportion of these employees working in the office full-time as the hybrid working model is increasingly adopted, there is evidence to suggest that some workers actually prefer being in the office at least some of the time – particularly younger people.
A vibrant office environment is, therefore, favoured by people who like the fact that they can interact with colleagues. Hence why many office buildings are designed to prioritise employee wellbeing, collaboration, and comfort, featuring a range of amenities including gyms, relaxation rooms, pet-friendly zones and well-equipped communal areas – facilities that can contribute to the long term success of a business by helping to attract and retain talent.
Making outdoor spaces a part of daily office life
One important dimension to office buildings with high user satisfaction, and one that is often overlooked, is the provision of high quality outdoor spaces. Giving careful consideration to the surrounding site occupied by an office building can open up new possibilities for spaces that may be underused or where there is an opportunity for repurposing.
But it is not just ground level areas that can be developed into attractive and usable outdoor spaces for office users. Higher level terraces and roofs can be utilised too where feasible or where there is no other space available, such as in city centre locations.
This is why Bailey Street Furniture Group (BSFG) is regularly approached by office developers and site managers or owners to advise on creative solutions for outdoor areas.
Why access to the outdoors during our working day matters
The design of many offices now means users can enjoy greater availability of natural light and a comfortable internal environment thanks to modern air conditioning and, in some cases, natural ventilation systems. But these solutions do not have the same health and wellbeing benefits as being outdoors.
According to a 2025 report by Loughborough University, the average UK person spends just 7% of their time or 86 minutes outdoors during the working week. This suggests the majority of office workers have very limited opportunity to be outdoors and this could be affecting both their physical and mental health.
For example, being able to get outdoors for part of the working day helps to reduce stress and anxiety, as well as improve overall mood. This contributes to helping workers feel more refreshed and less sluggish, boosting energy levels and cognitive function, fostering creativity and enabling a deeper focus on tasks.
There are physical health advantages too, particularly in being exposed to natural light as a way to increase vitamin D levels. This is proven to contribute to improved immune function and overall physical health.
All this means that greater access to outdoor space can contribute to the creation of a workforce that is more productive, more collaborative, happier and better positioned to problem-solve.
How to utilise street furniture to create attractive outdoor spaces at offices
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to the design and equipping of outdoor spaces within office sites. Decisions about the types of equipment installed, such as seating, litter bins, planters and tables, will ultimately be determined by factors including the available space, how its use is envisaged, the number of users it will need to accommodate, aesthetics and budget.
For inspiration on how to reimagine outdoor spaces, we can look to the transformations and creative designs adopted in many other public and commercial building projects such as schools, purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) buildings and universities, as well as projects to improve the quality of the public realm.
At office sites where there is sufficient paved, cobbled or tarmacked areas, there is excellent scope to use planters, tables and seating to create an appealing informal space. BSFG has provided street furniture for a wide range of projects of this kind including The Leather Market in Bermondsey, South London.
At the heart of this project, was the transformation of an external courtyard to create a vibrant extension of the workplace. BSFG contributed to this by supplying a range of seating and tables that would enhance the building’s historic character while providing a flexible outdoor space in which tenants have the opportunity to collaborate, socialise, or break-out the office.
A similar type of project, but in a more modern architectural setting, was the reimagining of a courtyard at the Humanities Building at the University of Manchester, a renowned 1970s brutalist style building. BSFG was engaged to assist with the revitalisation of the central courtyard to meet the evolving demands of the student community, which included adapting the Greengate and Deansgate ranges to create curved seating and table units to integrate with new landscaping.
An excellent example of what can be achieved at rooftop level is provided by the Excelsior Works apartment development in Manchester. Here, BSFG provided a street furniture package to create a stylish outdoor roof garden complete with a timber pergola overlooking a communal seating area.
The Deacon Cube, Greengate Benches, Picnic Tables and Sun Loungers were all incorporated, complemented by Inspira steel planters in various heights, powder coated in dark grey to match the contemporary design of the apartments. The planters serve an important purpose in respect of creating a more biodiverse area, introducing flora and fauna in a densely populated urban location.
Business park sites present many different design opportunities, particularly given that they usually have the luxury of having more ground level outdoor space to use. This can allow for greater utilisation of green spaces, more expansive planting areas and the scope to include aspects such as water features and cycle parking or storage.
In one BSFG project for a large corporate organisation, a bespoke canopy and street furniture package was provided for their extensive site. This was completed as part of the development of the Gaydon Centre for Jaguar Land Rover in Warwickshire, which featured a 109m canopy to provide a sheltered walkway through the site, coupled with a selection of coordinated street furniture for newly landscaped areas.
Encouraging cycling to the office
A further way to make greater use of the outdoor spaces within office developments is to create the facilities for cyclists. Encouraging more people to cycle to work is important because of the health benefits associated with this physical activity versus using a car or public transport. It is also important to help reduce congestion in city and town centres and improve air quality – hence why it is regarded as a more sustainable method of transport.
To achieve these aims, many site owners and developers choose to provide safe and secure parking for bikes within the building. This was the approach taken by KPMG for its head office at Canary Wharf, a project in which BSFG provided all the necessary equipment and systems to accommodate 200 cycles.
Where this is not possible, the outdoor space can be utilised in a number of ways. For example, cycle parking could take the form of a shelter to accommodate a system like the EasyLift Premium Two-Tier Cycle Rack, as was created by BSFG at Southampton Central Railway Station, or a more comprehensive facility.
An example of the latter is the cycle hub at Oxford Brookes University. This involved BSFG supplying and installing two purpose-built hubs formed using EasyLift Two Tier Racks accommodated within a powder coated steel framed structures, clad in robust timber and fitted with internal lighting.
To find out more about the outdoor solutions available from BSFG to incorporate within office developments, visit www.bsfg.co.uk