Press Releases

New Service Proves Office Design Needn't Cost the Earth

Thursday 18th January 2007

With climate change and corporate social responsibility high on everyone’s agenda, Morgan Lovell, the UK's leading office interior design specialist, has launched a new sustainable office design service.

Morgan Lovell’s team of in-house BREEAM¹ and LEED² trained designers advise clients on all aspects of sustainable office design as part of the service. This includes ‘green’ office building assessments, sourcing and using sustainable materials, space planning which exploits natural daylight and air, the use of energy efficient technology and carbon neutral refurbishment.  Comprehensive checklists are provided to ensure fit out or refurbishment aspects are all considered with a focus on sustainability.  

David Henderson, Morgan Lovell’s managing director, says, “Cynics can easily claim that businesses opt for sustainability for image reasons, but aside from corporate social responsibility, there are also business benefits to going green. For instance, a sustainable office uses less energy and can reduce energy bills by at least 25 per cent.

“There is a misconception that eco-friendly offices cost a lot to produce and benefit only the environment, and not a business itself. However, often the opposite is true. If done correctly, sustainable design can allow organisations a quick return on their investment beyond energy and water savings.”

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Alistair Darling, recently called for a widespread reduction in carbon emissions. Given that 50 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions come from the built environment, Morgan Lovell’s new service can help to provide established offices with an eco-friendly facelift.

David Henderson concludes, “A further benefit to sustainable office design is that green workplaces can often boost the efficiency and productivity of employees and reduce absenteeism.  For example, simply by maximising an office’s natural light and ventilation, employees can feel happier and boost their brainpower at the same time. Our new white paper³ on the benefits of unlocking performance and productivity through sustainable office design examines this in greater detail.”

To download the Morgan Lovell white paper and its sustainability checklist, visit www.morganlovell.com.

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Editor’s note:

¹ BREEAM - British Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method

² LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 'green building' rating system

³ The Morgan Lovell white paper on the benefits of unlocking performance and productivity through sustainable office design is written by Beatrice K. Otto of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Located in London, Bristol, Birmingham and Wokingham, Morgan Lovell is the UK’s leading office interior design, fit out and refurbishment specialist. With its own teams of surveyors, designers, builders and mechanical & electrical experts, the company can design, manage and deliver entire projects, with the benefit of just one point of contact.  www.morganlovell.com

It is a member of Morgan Sindall plc, the construction group, which has four specialist divisions of fit out, construction, infrastructure services and affordable housing.