Sustainable Office Design - Unlocking Performance & Productivity

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR?

BASIC ELEMENTS

To design a more sustainable office, there are a few basic elements. If you are the client, ask designers and contractors to deliver on this wish list, and look at the relevant sections.

element	optimal	minimal
AIR	fresh air and thermal comfort, using natural ventilation	pollution, particulates and emissions, use of mechanical air conditioning
LIGHT	individual control of lighting levels for different tasks & evenly diffused natural light	glare and shadow contrasts, use of energy intensive artificial light
ENERGY	use of energy efficient measures or equipment, of energy saving mechanisms, devices and behaviour, and where possible renewable energy sources	use of energy, especially from non-renewable resources
WATER	use of rain or recycled water, and water saving devices	use of water
MATERIALS	use of renewable, recycled or recyclable, lightweight, durable and non-polluting materials	use of materials, particularly non-renewable, energy intensive, non-recyclable, toxic or polluting materials
FURNITURE	easily maintained, refurbished or reconfigured, using materials as above	use of high emission materials, from non-renewable resources or cannot be recycled

Interlocking Elements

Bear in mind these are interlocking building blocks, with a great deal of mutual impact. An upholstery fabric big on 'outgassing' (noxious emissions) will affect air quality. More daylight will reduce the need for artificial light which will cut energy use and the demand for cooling. Some materials use or pollute a lot of water in their manufacture, and so on.

Some other things to consider:

Adaptability

In addition, an ability to reconfigure office space to meet future needs as the business evolves will reduce the necessity of major refits if the business is reorganised. This can be achieved through:

• modular furniture
• raised floors so that furniture can be moved and workstations reconnected without a spaghetti mess of wiring
• modular cooling capacity to allow for changing levels of occupancy
• refurbishment - some companies allow you to change the upholstery, or table tops, for example, extending their useful life and allowing a 'makeover' without starting from scratch
• avoiding styles that will quickly date

Dim the Din

Noise can profoundly affect concentration and contentment and can be mitigated through:

• moving office equipment with its constant whirrs, hums, clicks and clunks, into a space away from people's desks by networking printing, fax and other facilities
• sound absorbing materials
• use of white sound to reduce background noise

Procter & Gamble's large open plan offices in Geneva are almost silent due to the isolation of office equipment and the use of white noise. In GE Money's offices in Newcastle, copy machines are located in a central point and bespoke screens serve to reduce their noise.

Sticks and Carrots

The government provides a range of incentives (and disincentives) to encourage business to become more sustainable. Examples are the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, the Climate Change Levy and Landfill Tax.

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