People spend 90% of their time and their life in built environment – homes, schools, offices, etc. While this has led to economic progress and growth of countries, people have experienced a multitude of challenges and discomfort in workplaces. Research conducted confirms that a building and the services it offers have a direct role to play in the overall well-being of the user. A sick building affects users and their productivity. Today, the working class spends close to 12 active hours of the day directly contributing to the nation’s growth. Therefore, it is paramount that the built spaces are designed such that they are sensitive to their geography and cater to human requirements. A green workplace confirms tangible savings in energy and water consumption, assuring the organisation of intangible benefits such as reduced employee absenteeism and enhanced productivity.
Sustainability is not a stand-alone feature in a building that can be bolted on as an afterthought. On the contrary, it is an all-pervading phenomenon that’s bringing about a revolution in the way we design and build offices. It has become an integral part of the way we think, deliver and operate. There are many pointers for application of sustainability. However, current trends that are widely accepted in the industry are summarised as seen in Figure 1.
Office of the future requires total flexibility to adapt to a world of multiplying technological possibilities. The four Cs to be considered when planning healthy commercial spaces are – ‘collaboration’, ‘creativity and facilitating ‘concentration’ and ‘confidentiality’. Renovating the lobby to make it more like a lounge is just the beginning of the workplace evolution. Flexibility requires stretching the once-static and standard programme spaces into multifunctional and exciting areas of work. Flexible hallways, classrooms, stairways, meeting spaces, etc, must be considered not only by design teams but also property managers and tenants. A play of volume, movement corridors along with technologically sound options of AVs need to be highly adaptable. Furniture must also be light weight, mobile, and multipurpose. As the building and its functions are becoming more flexible, apartments can be work spaces; offices can be event spaces; retail spaces can become community centres or function as the occupants demand. This design approach means that flexible spaces become more valuable and sustainable – same resources, different uses!
Holistic wellness and green design has expanded to encompass not just green for buildings but green for people. Employers are pushing beyond physical wellness support towards cognitive and emotional well-being of employees. Many external reports suggest that 60% of lost workdays are due to stress. Now, designs are focused on supporting the whole person. Additionally, there’s an increase in demand for social spaces, where people can connect with their teams, as well as for quiet break-out zones to encourage recharging one’s energies. We have become a hyper-connected society, constantly engaging with technology, phones and email. This encourages designers to bring mindfulness, meditation, quietude and thoughtfulness to design. Space designs are crafted from materials meant to calm us and support our best ideas. The application of Indian Green Building Council’s (IGBC) Wellness Rating and/or the US Green Building Council’s WELL programme lays down guidelines related to wellness.
Biophilic design and its applications are on the up. There is a scientifically proven link between people and nature. Biophilia is not just adding plants or living walls to spaces – it encompasses true relationships between people and the patterns, rhythms and textures of nature and natural materials. It leverages knowledge of views, lighting and climate concerns within the indoor environment. It encourages designers to seek inspiration and affiliation with other forms of life. This can be adapted to the overall building form as well as to internal spatial arrangements and the way building systems are integrated holistically.
Sustainability equals community, where, in a global world, we still crave for our ancestral habits. “Buy local” is a methodology we embrace because it is meaningful to support our neighbours and community. Companies continue to make investments in their local communities as a sustainable and strategic business practice. Promotion of volunteering in your local community, greening a park or school, devoting voluntary employee hours to local area development are easily identified trends that can make a difference. Finally the community and its development hold a large place in the balance of the Triple Bottom Line.
Smart office design is no longer limited to a segment of office design. With technological development, it has become an employee expectation. As a result, employers are embracing artificial intelligence. Smart offices incorporate lighting controls, optimised energy and HVAC levels adjusted by movement, occupancy and space usage. Conference rooms are linked to room scheduling programmes, dynamically booting up technology and adjusting the lighting for video calls so teams don’t have to manually operate them. Holistic lifecycle costs have historically not been studied in the budgeting process. Going forward, it will be an important challenge when considering up-front costs. However the ease of the system operation has been tied to employee productivity.
Net Zero energy and increased use of renewables will assure reduced dependency on the use of fossil fuels. It enables us to track the carbon footprint of the development. World over, the trend is about exploring avenues that ensure the limited dependence on conventional energy and edging these towards Net Zero applications.
Taking this intent ahead, various guidelines have been developed internationally like the Living Building Challenge and nationally like the IGBC’s Net Zero Energy Buildings. IGBC is set to launch Rating and Guidelines for promoting and application of Net Zero Buildings in October 2018. These are being developed on the basis of energy codes specifically tweaked to respond to the ever-growing technical world and the specific climate sensitivity.
Net positive water buildings is a new term that can be implemented in most commercial and residential complexes. It leads to creating more water than is being consumed. This can be achieved by simple ways like optimising consumption, recycling as much as possible, and capturing and recapturing rainwater. In the growing trend of making mixed-use campuses, there is a potential of using treated waste water for tertiary activities. Thus, instead of discharging this treated waste water, it could be used for non-potable purposes like flushing, road washing, cooling tower makeup, irrigation, etc. This will reduce the pressure on local administration due to reduction of demand-supply gap in water distribution.
Smart Waste Management is faced by most metros. Identifying the root cause of waste creation will lead to the current generation’s lifestyle choices. While it may take time to reconfigure our lifestyle, it is paramount that waste management systems be designed to handle necessary segregation and hence recycling. Dedicated spaces for waste collection, segregation should be designed and included in all workplaces. This should no longer be hidden, for when we see the quantum of waste created, perhaps, we will reconfigure ourselves sooner. Tie up with organisations who collect waste to distribute recycled products for use. Offices should set up rewards for waste management such that the employees become proponents themselves.
Green on display or green education is a continuous pictorial dialogue between the organisation and its employees. Employees care about a company’s investment in sustainability. In a knowledge-hungry world, share your investments and educate the teams on green products and practices integrated in the workspace. Think about the fixation that the current generation has on the food they consume and the time they spend trying to understand labels and ingredient lists. Now imagine sharing with clients and employees the inventory of eco-friendly product manufacturing details, VOC levels, process of harvesting daylighting, or process of water conservation through the design of your offices and displaying educational messages. Educate them better so that they may educate their society.
Green certifications and support from regulatory authorities ultimately determine the implementation of sustainability strategies. The revised version of the National Building Code 2016 launched by the Government of India with the first ever Guidelines on Sustainability; the revised Energy Conservation Building Code 2017 (ECBC 2017) launched by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) that’s set to transform the commercial buildings market – have led to a phenomenal change in the real estate industry. Guidelines on Energy Efficiency Ratios (EERs) have been clearly defined for various levels of buildings like ECBC compliant, ECBC +, ECBC Super Buildings. The market transformation has been led by certification systems like the premier IGBC New Construction and IGBC Existing Buildings along with USGBC LEED V4 system and the TERI-promoted GRIHA programme. These efforts to measure sustainability ensure the implementation of the concepts.
While the spectrum of sustainability is endless, it begins with small steps. Recognising that even an individual can make changes will enable organisations to make change. The global mantra for generations to come should be – ‘Sustainable me, sustainable country’ – for it is paramount to realise that sustainability is sensitive beyond boundaries.