ULI Europe Debate: The Future of Office
Top executives debate the sector’s competitiveness and resilience at the 2021 ULI Virtual Europe Conference.
Feb102021
Image via Urband Land Institute
Uncertainty in the office sector lingers as the pandemic continues to unroll. Technology, people’s demands and sustainability are the main drivers—and these are linked together by a common theme: “The office as a contribution to the community and the built environment,” as stated by Alex Gebauer, CEO of Allianz Real Estate, one of the speakers at the 2021 ULI Virtual Europe Conference.
On the second day of the event, Chris Kane, founder of Six-Ideas, a global consultancy focused on workplace development and innovation, virtually met Nathalie Charles, BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management’s deputy chief executive officer & global head of investment management, in an Oxford-style debate on the future of the office sector. Duncan Swinhoe, co-managing principal at architecture firm Gensler, moderated a thought-provoking discussion that tried to establish if occupiers will streamline their office space utilization while successfully adapting to working remotely or if landlords will have the ability to lure back office-users. ULI’s live survey results—according to which 86 percent of participants believe office buildings have a strong future—served as a hot conversation starter.