Sustainability - What is it?
Sustainability in the work place is all about implementing practices that minimise environmental impact, promote social responsibility and ensuring long term economic viability.
Economic Sustainability:
Covers increased efficiency, cost savings, company reputation and long term viability for the future.
Social Sustainability:
Covers social aspects like employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion along with ethical practices.
Environmental Impact:
Covers energy conservation, waste reduction, sustainable sourcing and transportation.
Economic Factors
Breeam
Breeam stands for Building Research Establishment - Environmental Assessment Method, which identifies how energy efficient a building is and sets best practices in construction.
Ska Rating
Ska focuses on assessing fit-out elements and their impact on the environment. It measures water, waste, pollution, transport, materials, energy and carbon dioxide levels.
Energy Consumption
Consider which items use up the most energy (lighting, air-conditioning or IT equipment) and question is it possible to change any of these systems to lower consumption and save money.
Social Responsibility
Employee Wellbeing
Create a healthy and supportive work place, promoting work life balance and providing opportunities for professional development.
Diversity & Inclusion
Create an environment where employees feel valued and respected by encouraging them to take part in company activities.
Ethical Practices
Ensure your company has fair labour policies, promote ethical sourcing and contribute back to the local community.
Environmental Changes
Reuse - Reduce - Recycle
Encourage everyone to take ownership of the environmental aspects of their workplace and involve staff in the process of reusing, reducing and recycling waste, helping to bring costs down.
Sourcing
Sourcing materials and choosing suppliers that carry out environmentally friendly manufacturing will help minimise your carbon footprint, reduce waste and protect ecosystems.
Maintenance & Housekeeping
Simple things like turning lights off and closing doors will help reduce energy consumption. Maintaining equipment and regular servicing will help bring those bills down.
Conclusion
Inevitably, some design goals will conflict with others. For example, maximising window exposure will benefit lighting and visual comfort, but may lead to complaints about thermal conditions.
However, with an experienced interior designer, you will not only fulfil the needs of your employees, you will help to boost their productivity.
TRANSFORM YOUR WORKSPACE
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