International. The World Sustainable Building Council (WorldGBC), with the support of Jones Lang Lasalle, Lend Lease and Skanska, presented a report called "Health, Wellness and Productivity in Offices, the New Chapter of Sustainable Construction", in which it finds evidence related to the design of an office and the health and productivity of its occupants.
This report reveals that personnel expenses represent on average 90% of an organization's total expenditure. Therefore, if you present some increase in the costs of construction or operation of a sustainable building, compared to a traditional one, those values are exceeded by the best conditions, even if they are minimal, which result in the performance and productivity of the personnel.
Jane Henley, Executive Director of WorldGBC, said: "Most companies already have a valuable set of information that can have an immediate impact on two of their biggest expenses: their workers and their real estate. Understanding the relationship between these two can help companies achieve a significant competitive advantage."
Among the main findings of the research are:
- Indoor air quality: better indoor air quality (low concentrations of CO2 and pollutants and high ventilation rates) can lead to an improvement in productivity between 8 and 11%.
Lighting and nature views: Increases in productivity were documented as a result of proximity to windows, particularly when the view offers a connection to nature.
- Noise and acoustics: noise can be the biggest cause of dissatisfaction of the occupants of a building. A moderate and sustainable building can mitigate its impact and not become an unwanted discomfort and distraction.
- Interior layout: the interior design of an office (including the density of workstations and the configuration of workspace, rest spaces and social spaces) has an impact on the concentration, collaboration and creativity of the work team.
- Active design and exercise: health can improve through exercise, so active design in the building and access to nearby services such as gyms, bicycle routes and green areas, can help promote healthier lifestyles for its occupants.
In 2015 the CCCS will work in its network of members to document the successful cases that with this information are demonstrating that offices with sustainability attributes derive benefits associated with better health, well-being and productivity.
With information from the Colombian Council of Sustainable Construction.
