Green Office Futures

According to Riccardo Rizzi, Morgan Lovell's Environmental Manager, the last 12 months have seen facilities managers build up a substantial knowledge bank of material, ready to implement in their company’s offices.

Armed with the necessary information, 2008 is set to become a year of action.

Taking The Step. “During the last 12 months, we’ve spoken on a regular basis to facilities managers and noticed a massive shift in focus as to how sustainability will shape all aspects of the profession.

Facilities managers have spent most of 2007 getting to grips with green issues. It has been a year of gathering information and now 2008 is going to be the time to deliver the necessary changes and new procedures.

One of the major points for discussion in the new year will be Energy Performance Certificates (EPC). Initiated by the European Union in 2003, they are now set for introduction by the UK Government in the spring of 2008.

In the broadest terms, all residential, public and commercial buildings will be required to hold an EPC and the law states that when a building is sold or rented out, a valid EPC (not more than 10 years old) must be made available by the owner to the prospective purchaser or tenant.

The final rating for a building is represented on a scale from A to G, with A being the highest rating.

We believe EPCs will be of significance because they will act as a lightning rod for green issues in the UK property sector.

They will ultimately create a focus for a more sustainable approach overall and encourage organisations to look at their environmental performance across the board.

Smaller Footfall. Another feature of 2008 will be the increasing importance organisations will place on reducing their carbon footprints.

The process of becoming completely carbon neutral - calculating the carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by a particular activity or business and then balancing that with an equal investment in renewable energy or reforestation – might not be appropriate for every organisation.

However, companies are still likely to look at ways of actively cutting their carbon footprint. Facilities managers will be pressing for the nuts and bolts – facts and figures relating to factors such as energy consumption – to reduce their footprint.

As a result, we can expect to see more aggressive energy-saving campaigns introduced in UK offices and commercial facilities.

Measuring Performance. During 2008 expect BREEAM - the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method to become more common, for both new-build and refurbishment projects. BREEAM is used to assess the performance of a building across a series of categories including; good design, energy use, sustainable materials, air and water pollution, access to public transport, land use and water consumption.

A new assessment criteria targeted specifically at building refurbishment is set to be launched by BREEAM early in 2008.

LEED, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system, is also becoming more prominent, particularly among companies that have an American influence, such as those with headquarters in the US.

This standard has come to the UK from the States, and is becoming an increasingly well-known method of rating the sustainability of a building.

Making A Difference. We’ve found facilities managers and other property professionals want to know less about the impact of global warming and more about ways to tackle the problem. There’s a general acceptance that more needs to be done - they want to know how they can translate what they read in the papers into something that can make a difference. The quest for sustainability in the workplace also needs to be balanced with the demands of a competitive commercial world.

In 2008, we can expect to see more companies making a start. That can mean something as simple as the removal of less-efficient methods of lighting and the introduction of sensor lights that switch off when no-one is in a room. It’s a small step but one in the right direction.

Small steps can lead to other achievable goals– such as increasing the use of healthier and less expensive natural lighting - and before long there will be an overall shift in business practice that sees the emergence of a whole host of sustainable measures that literally don’t cost the earth.”

This article first appeared in Facilities Management Journal January 2008

Riccardo Rizzi is the environmental manager for Morgan Lovell, the UK’s leading specialist in the design and fit out of sustainable offices.

Morgan Lovell’s step-by-step checklist to creating a ‘green’ office interior is available as a free download at http://www.morganlovell.com/sustainability.