3 Steps on Your Journey to Designing a Sustainable Office

There is a growing demand for sustainable office design as businesses move to make smarter decisions about their workplaces. As ESG and Net Zero policies become more prominent, companies must seek more holistic business strategies that make sustainability part of wider business objectives rather than supplementary.

However, simply adopting change is not quite as straightforward as it sounds. According to a report by Morgan Stanley, there is a concern that required investment is the biggest barrier to implementing their sustainability strategies. 70% of respondents from their Institute for Sustainable Investing report cited investment as either a very significant or somewhat significant hurdle.

While improving your sustainability can require investment, there are a huge variety of options available to businesses that don’t need additional budget and can make a real impact. For companies looking to make a positive and progressive change to their organisations, we have outlined our approach at Rhino Interiors and by sharing three key ways we can help clients begin their sustainability journey.

How can you make an office sustainable?

The most important factor in making your office more sustainable is deciding the measure of success. There are some ways to make an office sustainable from improving energy efficiency in your space to using furniture with low-impact and circular materials or achieving sustainable certifications such as BREEAM, LEED and WELL.

Each business has its own metrics and objectives which formulate the basis of sustainable success. We work with all of our clients on an individual basis to understand the level of sustainability required. It is also important to remember that your building, budget and timescales will potentially impact your plans so early engagement on your sustainability goals is influential on the final space.

Sustainability Certification

Our approach can help your project secure world-renowned accreditations such as BREEAM, SKA, Fitwell, WELL and LEED. Each certification process is designed as a guideline to help create working environments that benefit your business and your people.

There are a range of internationally and nationally recognised standards for sustainability within commercial buildings and we recommend certification wherever possible. If you are interested in achieving these certifications, there are elements of your office design that need to be considered from the design stage. This is especially important to organisations that have established a net zero target and/or wish to demonstrate the sustainability of their workplace to a wide array of stakeholders.

Throughout the project, we will work towards key milestones and collaborate with a network of independent specialists in external certification schemes to ensure the best chance of securing formal certification.

 Repurposing Furniture

Assessing where you can make a positive impact with your office space doesn’t always revolve around replacing what you already have. An excellent way of reducing the carbon impact of your office is to repurpose your existing office furniture.

We have worked with several businesses to reuse or refurbish their existing furniture to give them a new lease of life in their office. This process reduces carbon emissions by removing the manufacturing and transportation impact of new furniture but in most cases, office furniture is still functional and practical.

As part of the design process, our team can work with you to assess how much of your existing furniture can be retained which can provide cost savings as well as a more sustainable office space. While not all furniture can be reused, investing in the areas that require new products is a practical step towards creating a more eco-friendly office.

Rhino Sustainable Toolkit

If you are unsure about the prospect of external certification, our sustainable toolkit can assist by creating you a bespoke suite of sustainability solutions. When you are not prioritising an external certification, we will look at other areas of the project which can still have a positive impact on your business.

Using the sustainable toolkit can offer several benefits, allowing for flexibility and adaptability in the way you address specific challenges within your existing space. We have designed our approach to be streamlined and consultative. From the beginning of each and every project, our experienced team work to understand what you are looking for in your fit out, set project expectations and then objectives. Following the initial consultation, we can propose a variety of routes that your project could take and begin your sustainability journey.

Once the sustainability route for your project has been mapped, we will begin researching and opting for the most effective design features. Throughout this process, we will use the project brief as our reference point to ensure that your project meets high standards before, during and after the fit-out process.

Starting your journey

When you are mapping out your office relocation or refurbishment, including your ambitions around sustainability from an early stage is crucial to success. The sooner you can outline your requirements, the more options you have available to you.

At the very beginning of your project, we will work with you to establish your sustainability goals and objectives. Whether you’re a small and growing organisation new to the concept of low carbon and sustainability, or a large organisation requiring internationally recognised certification for your project, our team is able to assist with the relevant resources to deliver on your objectives.

If you are looking for support in starting a sustainable office design project, contact one of our team today.