The environment has been a hot topic for a number of years and companies of all sizes are nowadays expected to have environmentally responsible policies in place covering all areas of their operations. One of the easiest places that you can make improvements, if you are working for one of those organisations that are behind the curve when it comes to eco-friendly policies, is with the design of your corporate offices.
The following five suggestions can be implemented by companies in all industries and will enable you to minimise your carbon footprint without compromising on productivity or profitability.
A green roof
Unfortunately, putting this suggestion into practice is normally only feasible when designing new buildings but if you do happen to be building new offices, you should definitely take advantage of the opportunity to install a roof that features a living layer of plants. Such roofs provide excellent insulation in both winter and summer, and look far more attractive than any of the conventional alternatives.
Smart lighting
Every minute that a light bulb is left on with nobody in the room may only cost your company a minuscule amount of money but when you add all those minutes together over the course of a year, you will reach a substantial total. Installing a smart lighting system, which employs a combination of timers and motion sensors to ensure that no lights are ever left on unnecessarily, could reduce your energy usage by a significant amount. Also ensuring your office fit out allows for the most natural light, leading design and fit out company Saracen Interiors have found designs allowing for more natural light have been favoured by companies as they find employees are more productive and happy.
Install a rain harvesting system
By collecting and using the water that falls from the sky onto your office roof and that would otherwise drain away back into the soil, you can put a big dent in your annual water bills and become more environmentally responsible in one stroke. This idea is admittedly much easier to implement when designing a new office but it is far from impossible to add such a system to an existing building.
Follow an open plan design
Employees that work together in larger groups will use less energy because they will be sharing the heat, light and cool air in the offices that they occupy throughout the year. Open plan layouts also have the added benefit of creating a more inclusive working environment, which could lead to productivity gains in the long term. Saracen Interiors has also found this makes the most use of space with office space especially in London in high demand and expensive making the most of the space and ensuring employees are comfortable is a must.
Install energy-efficient windows and blinds
By combining the latest energy-efficient windows with attractive and closely fitting blinds, you can minimise the heat transfer that takes place through your windows. This means less heat loss from the inside to the outside in the winter and less heat coming the other way in the summer.
If you follow all of the above eco-friendly design tips when creating a new office plan, you will be surprised at how much difference they make to your company’s annual energy consumption and overall employee productivity and moral. The great thing about minimising your carbon footprint in this manner is that you also save chunks of money and increase productivity at the same time.
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