Blog

"People often say they want a 'sustainable' office space without ever really thinking about the reasons behind it.  The first question to ask is why it is important to your business to consider the environment.  

"You will know all the theories about energy reduction, CO2 emissions and tax benefits, but what about attracting and retaining staff and clients?  Think about an asset management business with a niche market of ethical investment.  If you're targeting clients in that space, you need to reflect sustainability not only in your investment vehicles, but also in your office space - you need to live and breathe it.

"Then comes the question of who to choose to refurbish your workspace.  The first thing to look for is ISO 14001 accreditation.  This guarantees an environmental management system that minimises how operations negatively affect the environment and ensure compliance with the relevant regulations, which well then be driven throughout the project.

"All this brings us to the thorny issue of environmental certification.  The gold standard, BREEAM, is frustrating from a fit out and refurbishment viewpoint, as it is very much focussed on new builds - if your office is rated Very Good, it's virtually impossible to achieve Excellent for your fit out.  More useful is RICS's up and coming SKA rating, which is 100 per cent based on interiors.  This is far more accessible in terms of both cost and detail, with the initial assessment able to be carried out online.

"When we're working on a project, the key factors for an environment policy are minimising waste and implementing new technology such as blade servers to improve energy efficiency.  One of our recent projects for Derby University, which won a Green Gown Award for energy efficiency, used photovoltaic solar cells to reduce its reliance on the National Grid and non-renewable resources.

"We also work with logistics companies to reduce transport impact as far as possible - whether by using LPG for trucks or electric cars, or by organising "just in time" deliveries to avoid storage on site and the associated impact on heating and cooling systems.  We also ask our subcontractors to minimise their own waste products and use sustainable materials as much as possible.

"Perhaps the most important consideration is whether you really need to relocate, or whether you can refurbish instead. For example, you might be able to get in more people by churning the furniture system or working out whether certain employees are out of the office so much they could simply hot desk. This negates the issue of leaving a perfectly well functioning office and building a new one, and all the environmental damage associated with it."