WGBC report aligns office design to health

WGBC report aligns office design to healthA new World Green Building Council report points to “overwhelming evidence” that office design impacts health and productivity, including productivity gains of up to 11 per cent by improving indoor air quality alone.The report from the World Green Building Council (WGBC), titled ‘Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Offices: The Next Chapter for Green Building’, finds a multitude of factors impact staff performance, health and satisfaction. These include air quality and lighting, views of nature and interior layout.Presenting a toolkit for businesses to use to measure and improve the health, wellbeing and productivity of their office workers, the report identifies the key drivers of healthy workplaces as:good design (passive solutions, shading and natural ventilation where possible)good construction (new technologies, innovation and smart controls)good behaviour (appropriate clothing, adaptability and engagement with systems), andgood location (enabling low-carbon commuting and easy access to services and amenities).The report underscores the role of green building in reducing absenteeism, a significant drain on business productivity. The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) identifies the aggregate cost to Australian businesses of ill health and absenteeism as $7 billion per year.Jane Henley, CEO of the WGBC, said, “The evidence linking good office design and improved health, wellbeing and productivity of staff is now overwhelming. There is unquestionably a clear business case for investing in, developing and occupying healthier, greener buildings.”GBCA chief executive Romilly Madew said the report would help Australian companies “join the dots between their workplace productivity and the workplace itself”.”Operating from sustainable office space is increasingly recognised as a strategic business decision that is not only environmentally and economically sound, but can also enhance a company’s biggest asset and expense – its people,” she said.The report makes two guiding recommendations for the global office industry, calling for:ongoing innovation in products and systems to increase energy efficiency and improve the experience for occupiers – “This appears to be happening apace but could be further driven by clients,” the report says.the real estate sector to better engage in the process of grid decarbonisation and community-scale low- and zero-carbon solutions – “This includes the need to embrace appropriate on- and near-site renewables, which are still viewed by some in the industry as undesirable or a diversion.”The report was sponsored by JLL, Lend Lease and Skanska.Find the report here: http://www.worldgbc.org/activities/health-wellbeing-productivity-offices/