Reflections on UKREiiF: Building Sustainable Communities and the Role of Managing Agents
Fiona duCassé and I thoroughly enjoyed UKREiiF and catching up with various clients, industry contacts and, hopefully, meeting some new clients too. Given the size of the event, it was really hard to meet up with everyone we wanted to see, but we did our very best!
In the conference sessions, we focused on those that covered placemaking, community building and creating sustainable developments for the future. It was great to hear so many large mixed-use developers discussing how best to design and build a place to last a lifetime, and how those early decisions have such long-lasting impacts on the residents and occupiers who move in. Discussions around whether the architects, developers or marketers make the place were particularly lively and fun.
Throughout it all, though, I couldn’t help but feel that managing agents were missing from the equation—particularly those with a proven track record in assisting clients through the early stages of development planning and realisation. At Rendall & Rittner, we have a wealth of experience in doing just that, so it can be galling that we are so often forgotten during the early planning stages of a development and only brought in later to pick up the strategies.
It is our role to make those visions a reality and embed the vision and culture for the residents in the long term. We are also there to consider the financial impact on occupiers of early design decisions, which are often either not taken into account or considered too late in the process to make any real impact.
At R&R, we like to get involved at the earliest opportunity. Not only does this allow us to understand and input into developments early, but it also gives our clients knowledge and data to help inform their decisions. One of our consultancy services includes modelling costs based on comparable buildings, assessing how the phasing of both buildings and amenity spaces/services impacts a construction timeline. We examine how spaces could be designed for wider usage, lower running costs, and advise on what fixtures, fittings and finishes stand the test of time based on our experience.
Without wanting to oversimplify our role, we are the realists in the room—representing the final occupiers and ensuring that the design decisions and vision of our clients can be delivered in a cost-effective way, while also informing phasing plans to limit financial impacts on developers.
Whatever the size of the development, at the end of the day, it is the sense of community and long-term ongoing customer engagement that makes the place… so please consider your managing agents carefully!
We’d love to speak to you if we can assist with any upcoming developments you're planning, or if you have existing schemes where we can provide advice or management services. Please contact us at newbusiness@rendallandrittner.co.uk
