The British Council for Offices (BCO) has announced an affiliation with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International to offer members access to each other’s reach and knowledge. A first of its kind in the UK, the affiliation means that BCO members in the UK will have access to the information and services provided by the leading commercial real estate trade association headquartered in the United States.

BOMA is respected throughout the U.S. and globally for its active lobbying efforts on issues critical to commercial real estate, for being the only commercial real estate association to sit on all the major building code committees, and for its comprehensive research, topical education and coveted network of 18,000-plus real estate professionals.

The two organisations have several symmetries across their offerings, such as a focus on the environment and sustainability, design excellence, building codes and legislation as well as original industry research, like the BCO’s flagship Specification Guide. For the industry, this means the ability to share best practices in building operations and management, including proven strategies for sustainable practices that achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and make strong business sense.

Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO said: “This agreement heralds the start of a more globally-focused BCO. It offers our members ready access to expertise on the way buildings are used, specified and built across the world and provides them an entrée to communicate with colleagues in 13 countries.”

Richard Purtell, Chair of BOMA International said: “We’re pleased to be working with the BCO, as its reputation for valuable research is exactly what we seek from all of our global affiliates. We welcome members of the BCO to work with our members and share industry knowledge and experience.”

This announcement is another move into the international arena for the BCO, following the organisation’s recent moves to take its flagship Specification Guide global. At the launch of the 2009 edition in May, the BCO revealed its plans to work with local experts to create Specification Guides to influence office development in a selection of key markets – with the first being the Middle East.