VIDEO | How to design an office the right way

In today’s era of global political uncertainty, the defence industry has a more important role to play than ever. It already contributes £2.2bn to the North West economy and supports more than 20,000 jobs – numbers that could grow if the region plays its cards right.

SES’s innovative event shows it’s serious about partnerships, bringing together manufacturers, consultants and subcontractors to work differently and more closely.

Social value is more than a requirement, says Dawn Georgeson of A&B Engineering. It is about creating meaningful, lasting benefits for people, communities and future generations.

Senior leaders at AstraZeneca, Bentley Motors, Great British Energy, and more joined the new combined authority on Friday in making the case for investment in the sub-region.

Irish Government minister Niamh Smyth told a crowd of property professionals that her country and the Northern city are united in a mission to deliver sustainable and inclusive growth – a mission they will only accomplish through collaboration and innovation.

Great buildings start with great design. A&B Engineering technical director Phil Godfrey spoke with Place North West about how technology has improved outcomes for development projects.

Leveraging the town’s sporting heritage and ample greenspace are two ways the council is seeking to drive regeneration that improves the lives of residents.

Morgan Sindall Construction is building the facility for the university’s internationally-recognised acoustics faculty. It is a technically complex project that will feature some of the quietest rooms in the world and forms part of the £2.5bn Crescent Salford masterplan.

The last 10 years have brought us wars, political uncertainty at home and abroad, Brexit, and a pandemic. Panellists at Place North’s Wednesday breakfast conference discussed how the sector has delivered amid the chaos and how it will continue to do so in the future. 

Jolly Harbour may not exist today, but the fictional town conjured up by those attending Place North’s Tuesday breakfast event served as a great testbed for conversations about placemaking best practice.

What more can be done to make it easier and more viable to convert older buildings into much-needed homes? That was the question pondered recently by Crystal Jenkins, associate director at Overford, and Capital&Centric co-founder Tim Heatley.

Leaving MIPIM behind for another year, the focus now moves on to how those conversations in Cannes translate into real projects back home, says Steven Gregory, area director of Morgan Sindall Construction.

Bolton is turning years of concepts and plans into real places that are transforming the town centre, the council’s leader said at a conference marking the start of a new wave of regeneration.

With the dust just beginning to settle on MIPIM 2026, managing partner Dino Moutsopoulos joined deputy editor Dan Whelan to look back on a busy week of networking events, interactive panels, and front-line news and ponder what next year has in store for the North of England and Scotland when their delegations return to Cannes.

This panel session explored how the North’s combination of land, skills, and collaboration gives it a compelling edge in the I&L sector, despite persistent challenges.

Stephen Young, Salford City Council chief executive, describes how Salford is a city transformed by a proven track record of major regeneration – bigger, younger, more diverse, and more dynamic than at any point in modern history.

Mark Robinson, director of economy and place at Rochdale Council, and Richard Jones, Northern Cities Executive at Arcadis, discuss two major developments in the borough.

Overcoming barriers to delivery and speeding up planning, and taking a collegiate approach to risk management and other processes are just a few of the ways to ensuring projects can make both a difference and a profit, according to participants at a roundtable hosted by WSP.

The UK’s renewed focus on new towns is prompting fresh debate about how to create places that thrive for generations. At a panel session hosted by Place North, industry leaders were tasked with a thought experiment: how would they design a settlement from scratch?