Why Estates Strategy is Really About People

What can leaders in commercial real estate learn from The Royal Household or a school in the Falkland Islands? A great deal, it turns out.

We're featuring this piece from Tracey Field, former Estates Manager and Author of Leading & Managing an Education Estate. Her perspective offers a powerful and universal lesson for our industry.

Her core message is a simple but profound challenge to a world often focused on the deal, the lease, and the physical asset.

It's a crucial reminder that the most valuable metrics, tenant satisfaction, employee productivity, and brand reputation, are directly shaped by the quality of our buildings. Tracey's experience proves that our assets are not just bricks and mortar; they are dynamic environments that influence the people within them every single day.

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My Journey in Estates and Why Buildings Are Never Just Bricks and Mortar

Tracey Field FCIOB - Author of Leading & Managing an Education Estate

I did not set out to work in education estates. My career has taken me through local authority, private estates, and even overseas roles.

Each step gave me a unique perspective on how buildings and facilities shape people, and how much leadership matters in getting estates right.

Early Lessons in People and Property

I began in local authority estates.

It was my first experience of how estates decisions directly shaped the day-to-day running of services. Budgets were tight, expectations were high, and every choice had a visible impact. That early exposure taught me that estates work is about people as much as property.

Working with the Bedford Estates and The Royal Household came next. That was a world of heritage and tradition, where standards were not negotiable. It was not simply about maintaining buildings, but about protecting heritage, identity, and reputation. I learned the discipline of maintaining high standards, the patience of long-term planning, and the importance of attention to detail. I then took roles overseas, first in the Falklands and then Lagos, Nigeria.

These were vastly different contexts to work in with extreme climates, limited resources, and significant logistical challenges. The lesson there was adaptability. What works in one environment does not necessarily work in another. So, you must be flexible, think differently, and make decisions with both short-term practicality and long-term sustainability in mind.

The Strategic Importance of the Built Environment in Education

When I moved into education estates, I found a sector that was in some ways the most complex of all.

Schools must balance compliance, safeguarding, accessibility, sustainability, and funding pressures, all while keeping their focus firmly on teaching and learning. What struck me most was how estates were often seen as a back-office function. Something that was important, but not necessarily strategic.

Yet every leaking roof disrupts learning. Every inaccessible building limits opportunities. Every delay in maintenance creates hidden costs later. All of which has a direct effect on both the teaching and learning, and the morale of teaching and support staff, too.

I realised that if leaders do not talk about estates, no one else will. The estate shapes the environment in which education happens. It is not separate from education; it is part of it.

Connecting Estates to the Core Mission

That belief has guided me ever since. I have been fortunate to see estates from every angle: operational, strategic, and leadership, both contractor and client side. And across all sectors, the same truth emerges; estates succeed when they are understood as part of the core mission, not just an overhead or a box-ticking exercise for compliance.

In schools, that means estates are not just about bricks and mortar.

They are about creating safe, inclusive, sustainable environments where children and staff can thrive. They are about decisions that protect learning, safeguard wellbeing, and using resources wisely.

Today, through my consultancy, training, and writing, I work with schools and trusts to raise the standard of estates leadership.

Looking Forward: Why Estates Strategy is Leadership Strategy

My focus is on helping leaders connect estates decisions to educational outcomes, because when that connection is clear, better decisions follow.

This year, I brought together what I have learned into my book Leading & Managing an Education Estate. It is not an abstract textbook, but a practical guide written from lived experience.

It is designed for anyone involved in estates, from site managers to trustees, consultants to CEOs, who want to understand both the education estate and the bigger picture.

Looking Forward

The challenge ahead is not just about funding or compliance. It is about culture.

It is about getting leaders to see that estates strategy is leadership strategy. The condition of buildings and the way we plan for them directly affects education.

Estates do not fail because people do not care. They fail because no one is looking closely enough or asking the right questions at the right time.

My journey has taught me that every decision about the built environment is ultimately a decision about the people who use it. And in education, that means the pupils, the staff, and the wider community.

Get estates right, and you give everyone a better place to learn, grow, and thrive.

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