From insight to action: A blueprint for rising to the challenge
The message from this year’s (Y)OUR SPACE research is unambiguous: corporate real estate is being asked to do more, deliver faster, and adapt in real time to an increasingly complex world. Leaders are grappling with strategy gaps, capacity constraints, volatile conditions, and rising expectations - all while trying to build spaces that support transformation, culture, and cost control. This isn’t a moment for observation. It’s a moment for action.
Here are five purposeful steps that will assist CRE professionals in meeting the moment head-on:
From insight to action: A blueprint for rising to the challenge
The message from this year’s (Y)OUR SPACE research is unambiguous: corporate real estate is being asked to do more, deliver faster, and adapt in real time to an increasingly complex world. Leaders are grappling with strategy gaps, capacity constraints, volatile conditions, and rising expectations - all while trying to build spaces that support transformation, culture, and cost control. This isn’t a moment for observation. It’s a moment for action.
Here are five purposeful steps that will assist CRE professionals in meeting the moment head-on:
STEP INTO STRATEGY EARLY
The top challenge in supporting business growth and transformation, as identified by CRE leaders? Strategic misalignment. Too often, real estate is treated as a downstream execution tool brought in after decisions are made and expected to deliver at speed, within constraints it didn’t help define. The result is portfolios and workplaces that lag business ambition.
Action:
Shift the CRE function upstream. Make the case for embedding it in transformation, M&A, and workforce planning conversations from the outset. Use real estate insight to test scenarios, highlight constraints, and design space that supports rather than follows enterprise direction. Early involvement unlocks efficiency, resilience, and cultural impact.
DESIGN FOR CHANGE
With compressed timelines, rising build costs, supply chain volatility, and shifting expectations around hybrid work, static real estate strategies are a liability. The most successful organisations are moving fast but market conditions aren’t always keeping pace.
Action: Build in optionality at every level. Prioritise shorter leases, phased delivery, modular layouts, and multi-use spaces. Rethink workplace assumptions and design for a variety of workstyles not just a return to old norms. Resilient portfolios aren’t just diversified, they’re responsive by design.
MAKE EVERY SQUARE FOOT COUNT
Hybrid has exposed just how much space is underutilised and how costly that inefficiency can be. The result is a dual challenge: improve the performance of retained space while rightsizing across the broader portfolio. Survey respondents flagged this as the single biggest pressure point in portfolio management.
Action: Use data - not gut feel - to drive decisions. Track occupancy patterns, amenity use, and daily flow. Consolidate smartly, reinvest in quality, and make space work harder through reconfiguration and shared models. This isn’t just about cutting costs, it’s about aligning space with purpose, productivity, and performance.
BUILD A FUTURE-FIT FOUNDATION
The CRE mandate is expanding - covering everything from digital enablement to ESG delivery and cultural transformation. But the function isn’t always resourced or structured to match. Small teams, legacy systems, and overreliance on outdated operating models are creating bottlenecks.
Action: Invest in capability, not just capacity. That includes new skills, smarter tech, and a more integrated relationship with adjacent functions like IT and HR. Rethink outsourcing models too - moving from transactional service to strategic partnership. Providers must flex with your business, co-create solutions, and operate with shared accountability. The CRE function of the future is agile, embedded, and equipped to lead.
LET PURPOSE GUIDE DECISIONS
Sustainability, experience, risk, resilience; these are no longer side agendas. They are central to how CRE creates value. Yet too many teams are still navigating outdated governance, unclear priorities, or siloed metrics. This is the moment to put purpose at the core of every decision.
Action: Treat every lease, fit-out, procurement, and partnership as an opportunity to reinforce what the business stands for. That includes cutting carbon, attracting talent, and delivering inclusive, experience-led environments. Use ESG not as a compliance hurdle but as a design brief. And translate cultural intent into physical form; space is one of your most powerful storytelling tools.
MOBILISING THE MESSAGE: REDEFINING THE ROLE OF REAL ESTATE
Corporate real estate is being recast. It is no longer the backdrop to business. Instead, it is a dynamo for your business. That means the role of the CRE professional is changing too: from space manager to transformation enabler, from cost controller to strategic business partner. The next era will be led by those who act with intent, build with agility, and lead with conviction. Your insight matters. Your voice matters. And your ability to turn complexity into clarity will define the value of real estate in a world that’s only getting faster, tougher, and more challenging. Now is the time to lead, not from the sidelines, but from the centre.
MOBILISING THE MESSAGE: REDEFINING THE ROLE OF REAL ESTATE
Corporate real estate is being recast. It is no longer the backdrop to business. Instead, it is a dynamo for your business. That means the role of the CRE professional is changing too: from space manager to transformation enabler, from cost controller to strategic business partner. The next era will be led by those who act with intent, build with agility, and lead with conviction. Your insight matters. Your voice matters. And your ability to turn complexity into clarity will define the value of real estate in a world that’s only getting faster, tougher, and more challenging. Now is the time to lead, not from the sidelines, but from the centre.
