A Guide to Sustainable Workplace Design

A sustainable workplace is an office space that is designed to be as eco-friendly as possible. It’s about using as little of the earth’s natural resources as possible and aiming not to harm the surrounding atmosphere in any way. Green office design is also all about securing the well-being of employees. Creating a workplace where they can flourish and enjoy a higher quality of life as well as an added benefit for you of increasing their productivity.

Office sustainability could well be the key to a successful business. With happy employees and an office that demonstrates that you are truly considerate of others and the environment, you are guaranteed to impress your clients. Take a look at our guide to sustainable workplace design to get some ideas that you can put into practice in your interior design.

Energy

When creating a sustainable office space, reducing energy usage needs to be the key focus point. Overusing energy wastes our precious natural resources and the creation of energy can actually be very harmful to the atmosphere. You could make a start by choosing energy efficient appliances for use around the office to limit the amount of energy that you are consuming. To really make a difference, though, you should consider installing means of making your own energy. Think solar panels on the roof or wind turbines in the garden area.

Lighting

When thinking about your green office interior design you really need to think carefully about your lighting. Natural light is better all around. Making the most of what is provided for free will help you save money, reduce your energy usage and will also be better for your employees. Natural light is known to be a significant mood booster, so making sure that your office can be bathed in light during the day will help get the most out of your workforce. When completing your office fit-out, always try and install large windows so that the light shines through, illuminating the work environment.

Air

You also need to think about the air quality within your workplace. You want your employees to be switched on all day long and to be happy and healthy when they are at work. You can contribute greatly to this by ensuring that there is a constant supply of fresh air. You can do this by having vents installed and considering air conditioning if necessary. You could improve the air even more by bringing lots of plants into your office. These work to purify the air naturally for you, plus they help improve the aesthetics of the environment and just make people feel happy.

Furniture

Choosing your furniture is another major part of your office design and you should also take a sustainable approach when selecting these. You could try and look for pieces that are made from sustainable materials. It is quite easy to find pieces made from sustainable wood, for instance. This is wood that is harvested from forests that are managed responsibly to ensure that trees are replaced once they are felled. You could also consider choosing furniture that has been repurposed. This way you prevent something going to landfill and you will also save yourself some money. Whether you go for new sustainable products or decide to repurpose just be sure to choose pieces that will remain in style. It’s not particularly green to replace pieces that are outdated.

Location

When choosing your workplace think hard about the location. A sustainable office should help their employees make good decisions about how they commute to work. It should be easy, for instance, for them to catch the bus or train rather than rely on taking their own car to work, which only adds to pollution levels. Ease of location helps you to maintain your green credentials and also helps to keep your employees happy because an easy commute helps them start and end the day the right way. You could also consider locating near to a cycle route. Making it easy for employees to cycle to work will make their commute even easier and will help their well-being as they will get more exercise. Location, whilst not part of the overall design is extremely important when it comes to determining how sustainable your office can be and in improving the outlook of your workforce.