Can playful placemaking drive serious results?

Our Director and Sustainability Lead, Doug Higgins, recently joined Samantha McClary on the British Council for Offices’ Workspace Unwired podcast alongside Emma Goodford of Railpen, our partner on both Mill Yard and Botanic Place in Cambridge, to explore what it really takes to deliver meaningful, future-focused development.

The conversation looks at how the role of the workplace is evolving - and why creating successful places now goes far beyond the building itself.

Together, they discuss the shift in occupier expectations, with amenity no longer confined within four walls. Instead, today’s developments need to support the wider community, foster wellbeing and create environments where people actively want to spend time.

The episode also dives into the delivery of Botanic Place, including its technical sustainability journey and achievement of a 100% BREEAM Outstanding design score – setting a new benchmark for office development.

But it’s not all technical. A key theme throughout is the importance of playfulness in placemaking – and how creating moments of joy, surprise and connection can turn workplaces into destinations that people are drawn to, not required to attend.

As a B Corp, creating long-term social value is embedded in everything we do at Socius. This conversation reflects our shared approach with Railpen: delivering places that not only perform commercially, but also have a positive and lasting impact on people, communities and the planet.

Listen to the full episode here.