6 Tips to Implement a Sustainable Office Design
Are you looking to update your office space? Maybe you are looking for small changes or a complete renovation. Either way, you will be looking for long-term solutions to make sure your organization is set up for success. This brings us to the world of sustainable office design!
How can you upgrade your office to have lasting changes while being more environmentally friendly? Let’s discuss!
What is Sustainable Office Design?
Sustainable office design requires making meaningful, informed actions, big or small, that support our environment. This may include efforts to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste, make health-conscious decisions, and more.
Aside from helping the environment, what benefits are there for workplaces when emphasizing sustainable office design? Organizations can enjoy long-term cost-effectiveness, saving on operating expenses, improving employee culture, and more.
6 Tips for a Sustainable Office Design
How can your workplace become a sustainable office? Check out our 6 tips below to learn more!
1. Investing in the Right Furniture
When you decide to invest in high quality, durable furniture for your office, you are making an environmentally friendly decision, especially if it’s made of recycled materials. This is furniture that should get a lot of use, and last for a long time.
With high quality furniture, by keeping and using these pieces for a long time, you can reduce resource consumption, minimize waste, and save money in the long run. This contrasts with buying lower quality furniture that wears out sooner, causing your organization to have to replace it more often, leading to more environmental pollution and additional expenses for your company.
2. Utilizing Daylighting, Installing Efficient Lighting
Daylighting brings outdoor, natural light into your building and has many advantages. It reduces the need for artificial lighting, reducing energy costs. And it improves focus and well-being, leading to increased productivity and satisfaction for employees, students, and customers.
Switching your office lighting to a more sustainable solution can help save the planet and your pockets. Using energy-efficient lighting, such as LEDs, is a great way to make your office more sustainable. LED bulbs, for example, last 25 times longer, and use at least 75% less energy, than incandescent bulbs. Get efficient lighting to make your office more eco-friendly and lower your operating costs at the same time!
3. Conveniently Place Waste Bins
Make the effort to install plenty of compost, recycling, and trash bins, with the latest signage, in your office! How much paper, plastic, and metal alone does your office generate? Does all that go in a recycling bin, or does it go in a trash bin? If it’s the latter, maybe it’s time to see about placing those planet-friendly waste bins by the kitchenette, in the break room, and all around the office.
A sustainable office design plan can give your employees a boost!
4. Consider a Flexible Floor Plan
We understand that businesses can change all the time, and that is why we encourage flexible floor plans. Integrating modular furniture, multi-purpose rooms, and efficient storage enhances flexibility. This flexibility will allow your office to physically adapt and evolve as your business does. This should allow your office space to adjust easily, and reduce waste by avoiding frequent, substantial renovations.
Flexible floor plans can also help your employees with varying work styles and preferences. Making the office a more comfortable environment for your employees can help boost their productivity and collaboration.
5. Incorporate Green Space
There are so many benefits to green spaces in the workplace! Integrating potted plants, vertical gardens, living walls, or maybe even a rooftop garden can go a long way for your employees while helping the environment! Green spaces can help reduce stress, enhance productivity, improve health and wellness, and be natural catalysts for building a sense of community around the workplace. Research has found being in nature has this positive impact, and including green space at the workplace can have similar effects.
6. Build Acoustics
Nobody likes a noisy office. This noise pollution isn’t good for anyone and can cause employees to have headaches, fatigue, increased heart rate/blood pressure, and more. There are solutions to this problem, though, with one solution being to build acoustics. Acoustics are specific, physical additions to rooms to control how sound moves in it. Aside from improving well-being and reducing noise pollution, acoustics can enhance productivity and help create privacy and confidentiality.
Seek Sustainable Solutions with Office Interiors and Vista Technologies
Pushing your organization towards sustainable office design comes with a ton of benefits and ideas. Whether that’s lowering energy costs with efficient lighting, or saving waste and money with flexible floor plans, there are plenty of ways to go green in your office. We understand the value of sustainability and are here to help improve your office space. With our team of designers and our catalogue of furniture, there is plenty to do to make your office match your vision. Contact us today to learn more and take the next steps towards a greener office!
