How to Design a Sustainable Office

Figure Out Your Sustainability Goals

Over the last 5 years, sustainability has become more and more important to businesses. From recycling materials to utilising green energy, creating a sustainable office is the way forward for businesses, whatever your industry is. No two businesses are the same, however, every company should have different sustainability goals based on their office, staff numbers, and operational requirements.

SUSTAINABILITY

The avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance

Before you can create and install a sustainable office interior design, you need to establish clear sustainability goals. These goals help you understand the level of sustainability you want to achieve. These objectives must be measurable, specific, and achievable for your organisation. Whether it’s to reduce energy usage or achieve a SKA Gold rating, set goals that are relevant to you.

Many businesses are now including their fit out and property strategy within their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) and environmental, social, governance (ESG). Incorporating sustainable office interior design features in the initial fit out demonstrates your commitment to the environment.

Creating Your Perfect Environment

There’s always room to improve when you’re creating a more sustainable office. Even if you’ve implemented an effective sustainable office design that meets your goals, from there you should think about new goals to aim for. The perfect workplace environment is something we should always be striving to achieve.

The adaptations you invest in will depend on your budget, and can range from adding insulation to external walls and reducing the need for artificial office lighting. Optimising your office for maximum solar gain can save you money in the long term as well as improve your sustainability.

It’s not only the utilisation of natural lighting that’s important for a sustainable office design. If you’re serious about creating an environmentally-friendly workplace, you need to create a comprehensive fit out design. It should encompass water usage, air quality, energy efficiency, and carbon emissions.

Designing With Sustainably Sourced Materials

Many organisations believe the outcome of a sustainable office fit out begins once the installation is complete. However, you should also focus on sustainability throughout the design and fit out process. Sustainably sourced materials are essential when creating a sustainable office. It doesn’t make sense to create a workplace that’s kind to the environment if it’s built on a foundation of materials that weren’t sustainably sourced.

When you sit down at the start of the process, set goals around the materials you want to use. How the materials are sourced is so important when you’re trying to install a sustainable office design. As well as new materials, you also need to dispose of any waste and debris in an environmentally-friendly way. Any recyclable or hazardous materials need to be handled appropriately, rather than ending up on a landfill site.

Lighting and Energy Efficiency

A smart strategy to increase energy efficiency in your office is sustainable office lighting throughout your workplace. LED lighting is more sustainable and is often the first idea people think of when imagining energy-efficient lighting. While LED lighting reduces energy usage, you should also implement features that reduce how much artificial lighting you use in the office.

Make sure the interior design maximises the amount of natural light available to your staff. This reduces the need for artificial lighting, especially during the summer months when the weather is typically brighter. Of course, sometimes artificial lighting is necessary. Making use of PIR sensors that automatically turn off lights when no movement is detected is a great way to cut back on unnecessary waste, just make sure they’re accurate to avoid any inconvenience.

For large office spaces, zonal lighting is a smart solution. In a big workplace, you may need different levels of lighting in different locations. It doesn’t make sense to have the same LED lights throughout the office if some areas need brighter lighting than others. If there are areas where you can reduce artificial light to improve energy efficiency, without affecting productivity, this is a smart solution for your sustainable office interior design.

Promoting Office Culture and Wellbeing

Sustainable offices are not only kinder to the environment, but kinder to your staff as well. By implementing sustainable features you can create a positive company culture and improve staff wellbeing. A biophilic design, incorporating plants and greenery, can be environmentally friendly but also reflect your sustainable culture and create a positive workplace for staff.

Share your sustainability goals with staff to help create a company-wide culture. Encourage recycling, reducing energy usage, and environmentally-friendly commuting. Simple changes, such as adding a secure bike storage facility for your staff, show your commitment to the environment to staff and encourage them to join in the journey towards complete sustainability.