Eco-friendly office designs
More so than ever before we find ourselves being constantly reminded about how climate change and human activity is affecting the environment around us, thereby affecting the way we now live and work.
Many modern companies and organisations have therefore started to take action towards reducing the effects of climate change, by creating an eco-friendly office environment.
An eco-friendly office is very similar to that of a ‘biophilic’ designed office, and one can blend into the other.
But the two are different in the sense that a biophilic office is designed to centre around the people working in it, whereas an eco-friendly office is designed to protect and improve the surrounding environment.
Whether it’s reducing the amount of unnecessary waste we produce or incorporating natural features into the office design, going green carries many benefits.
As with a biophilic designed office, having natural elements in the workplace can boost employee productivity. Research by the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that by adding one plant per square mile in an office, employees were 15 per cent more productive than those without plants in their office.
Indoor greenery will also vastly improve air quality, which not only benefits the surrounding environment, but the employees’ overall health.
Other practical ways in which offices can become eco-friendly include having a centralised waste and recycling system, implementing a switch-off campaign for lights and office equipment and investing in low wattage, energy saving light sensors.
Going digital instead of relying on the printer as much, or by ditching the printer all together in favour of a multi-purpose machine that can copy, scan, fax and print, will also make an office look modern, slick and, ultimately, greener.
But one of the purest and most popular ways of going green is by using recycled furniture. Refurbished wooden chairs, tables and even scaffolding can be used to create an honest, clean office environment.
Some employers often mistakenly believe that by implementing sustainable features into their office, they will struggle to get a return on their investment in the long-term. But quite the opposite is true.
Eco-friendly office solutions such as added insulation or underfloor heating for a wooden floor, for example, can be an expensive investment initially, but the significant reduction of power used in the long run can be profitable.
Not only does going green help to act against climate change, but it can also save you money and even make your brand stand out for its sustainability in the minds of consumers and investors.
At Cobus, we’ve been designing and fitting eco-friendly interiors for businesses, organisations and education providers of all sizes across the UK, for more than 40 years.
As a forwarding-thinking company, we prioritise health, safety and the environment in all of our projects. We go above and beyond in carbon footprint reduction, minimising waste and using sustainable products whenever it’s possible.
