Sustainable Office Design - Unlocking Performance & Productivity

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

PERFORMANCE & PRODUCTIVITY

“A minimal upfront investment of about two percent of construction costs typically yields life cycle savings of more than ten times the initial investment.”

California Sustainable Building Task Force

The chief, tempting benefits of making your office more sustainable are:

• lower running costs - due to virtuous circles of energy and material savings
• rising productivity - due to happier and healthier employees

They go hand in hand though productivity gains often dwarf reductions in running costs. There is growing evidence that even where the initial costs are higher than conventional design, the payback, for example through reduced energy bills, can be fairly fast. When gains in productivity are factored in, the payback can be very fast - staff costs usually hugely outweigh energy costs, so a small gain in productivity can translate into a heftier financial gain.

“Buildings with a 'green rating' command rental rates that are roughly three percent higher per square foot than otherwise identical buildings - controlling for the quality and the specific location of office buildings.”

Doing Well by Doing Good? Green Office Buildings, 2009

In addition, there are reduced liabilities (and potential opportunities) from meeting environmental legislation, such as the Landfill Tax or Climate Change Levy or the newly launched CRC Energy Efficienct Scheme. There are government issued carrots as well as sticks, such as the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme which allows businesses to claim 100% first year capital allowances on investments in energy saving products or technologies.

“The growth of green building is driven partly by energy efficiency and other cost savings but also by the need of businesses to attract the best employees. These buildings can make very attractive workplaces.”

Christine Ervin, President & CEO, US Green Building Council

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