5 Tips for Designing a Sustainable Office

There has been a major shift in the need for enhanced efficiency and sustainability within the built environment in recent years. As we have all started to make different decisions on the types of materials and products that we use in our personal lives, the decisions we make in our working lives have also evolved.

Workplaces have seen a shift in the way they are procured and designed due to the benefits that sustainable spaces have on the employees that occupy them. A report by Foster + Partners and Brookfield Properties highlights that 90% of office employees believe that sustainable workspaces are good for the planet and their wellbeing. It goes to show that employees are becoming more aware of their surroundings at work and how it impacts their performance in the office.

As more companies look to create more desirable offices that improve employee wellbeing and promote more sustainable practices, the way workplaces are designed has started to change. With a greater awareness and interest in the procurement of materials, furniture and products in the office, there is now more of a commitment to making better design decisions. In this article we share five tips for designing a more sustainable office.

What is a sustainable office design?

Sustainable office design is more of a holistic design process than it is an individual feature within a workspace. The goal of sustainable office design is to use eco-friendly practices and low impact materials to create environmentally friendly workplaces. There are many ways of achieving a sustainable office so it is important to set out an approach that allows you to work towards a specific sustainability objective.

ESG & Net Zero

There is now a far greater focus on enterprise-wide ESG and Net Zero goals than ever before and the workplace feeds into these commitments. By 2032, the UK government is aiming to reduce all direct emissions from public sector buildings by 50%. This will pave the way for their ambition to make all UK emissions net zero by 2050. It’s an ambitious goal which means there will be changes to building regulations and performance in the coming years.

Designing an office that takes these goals into consideration can be beneficial to businesses and should be seen as part of the ESG and Net Zero efforts. Net Zero is about benefiting the environment and reducing emissions but it can also help you improve energy efficiency and increase profits by lowering the cost of business operations. Being a Net Zero business may also open opportunities for funding and grants.

What are the key elements of a sustainable office fit-out?

There are many considerations when it comes to meeting these but with companies looking to find extra value from their commercial office space, sustainable design can be rewarding. These are some of the key elements to consider when designing a sustainable office

1. What are the key elements of a sustainable office fit-out?

For your office space to be as sustainable as possible, it is important to start with selecting the materials that have been recycled or repurposed and/or have low embodied carbon. These low impact materials will be locally sourced rather than imported and they will also likely be recycled or repurposed in some way.

There is a responsibility for designers to look at alternative materials, or sources of materials, in order to make spaces more sustainable. There are a number of manufacturers that are innovating their products to include reclaimed materials, higher percentages of recycled content and upcycling services to create more ‘circular’ products. Constantly buying brand new furniture, fabrics and surfaces is inherently unsustainable so that’s why low impact materials can help companies to reduce the carbon footprint of their office.

2. Choose a sustainable building

Outside of the office space itself, there have been developments in the role that the office building plays as a whole for the people that occupy it. Higher quality buildings have become more desirable for businesses as they look to achieve their ESG goals and other performance targets but they can also improve employee productivity.

A report by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has shown that buildings can maximise benefits for people and leave the planet better off as well. With higher grade buildings, the energy performance is typically much better than lower grade buildings but they are also low carbon and resource efficient. This goes hand-in-hand with providing healthier spaces for people to work in and the sustainability benefits of this are passed onto the companies that work in that building. With stricter EPC regulations due in place by 2030, high quality buildings will become even more desirable so by planning ahead and relocating to a building with better credentials, your office space could become more sustainable.

3. Reduce energy consumption through lighting

Lighting a commercial office space is an essential requirement but it can also be done incredibly inefficiently which will add more costs onto your bottomline. Lighting solutions can improve the energy performance of an office space when the right bulbs and fittings are installed.

LED light bulbs are very common within the home but if they’re used in the workplace, they can help save money by using less energy and also provide 5-10x more light hours than incandescent lights. It’s also important to consider where you need lights within your office space as natural lighting can also take some of the pressure of needing light bulbs in every part of the office.

4. Target an accreditation

To ensure your office design project begins on the right path to becoming sustainable, you should aim for a sustainability accreditation from the beginning of your project. When you go for a specific accreditation like SKA, BREEAM, LEED or Fitwel, there are specific guidelines and criteria you must achieve for you to earn a specific level of accreditation.

If you decide to do this later in the project, it might be more difficult to track your sustainability performance and may incur extra costs if you need to reverse engineer any elements of the fitout. It is advisable to plan any objectives involving accreditations as far in advance as you can. This will give your design partner the most opportunity to help you achieve an accreditation for your business.

5. Set a Science-Based target

There are a good selection of ways you can make your office more sustainable through physical design features but how do you truly know whether you’re making a difference? Even though it’s better to use upcycled furniture in your workplace, it is not the full solution to designing a sustainable office.

Companies are increasingly looking to set Science-Based Targets to help them track and review their sustainability performance. An SBT is a public commitment to reduce carbon emissions to align with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. An SBT is a serious commitment for companies to consider and it may not be right for every company but it is a demonstration beyond an accreditation. It shows you are committed to making changes and that you are taking the steps to find out what your footprint/impact is and how to lower it.

Starting your sustainability journey

Establishing sustainability goals is all about setting targets that you can actually achieve. This means that making incremental changes to your work environment should be strategic and linked to your wider business goals.

Every company will have their own views on what is attainable and a variety of factors will determine how advanced your objectives for ESG and Net Zero are. The focus should be on making a positive impact on the planet and to your people. With these motivations in place, you have the basis for making your office more sustainable.

For more information on how to get started with your sustainability journey, get in touch with our team today.