Brands and companies alike are becoming aware of how important it is that we start taking care of the environment. Businesses tend to have a larger impact on our planet due to higher waste production, and most could do better by taking simple steps such as designing a more sustainable workplace. Following the best practices for sustainable design allows businesses to focus on more than saving energy and natural resources, they can also incorporate the development of positive well-being for those who work in the spaces designed with sustainability in mind. Sustainable offices have been proven to positively impact employee wellness and productivity. Due to this, office design trends have begun to focus on creating the perfect balance between functional, beautiful, and sustainable.
Take a look at the latest beautiful yet sustainable options that will green up any office.
1. Sustainable Components
What are they?
Sustainable Components are products that use materials that are non-toxic, eco-friendly, recycled, recyclable, renewable, durable, and/or repurposed. Offices have been integrating these products into their spaces by using paints low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds), using worktops or presentation boards made with recycled content, walls and partitions made from repurposed steel or plastic, and by using recycled materials for their flooring.
How do they help?
Overall, sustainable components help save on water, energy, and other natural resources because they don’t need to be harvested and broken down to create these products. The bottom line is that exactly how much of those resources are preserved really depends on who you buy from. One company could use 100 percent eco-friendly materials to make everything they sell, meanwhile, some companies sell products that are made using only 30 percent post-consumer materials. Thankfully, most companies now freely offer some type of information online about the sustainability of their materials to help designers or facilities managers to evaluate and select eco-friendly products.
How do they benefit the office?
Incorporating sustainable components is an easy and effective way to do your part for our planet. It’s as simple as buying products made from recycled materials or going with a more eco-conscious design during your next office space update. By switching to greener products and educating those working with the greener products about eco-friendly company decisions and goals, workers will feel happier overall. Studies have shown that individuals who join or feel included in groups that inspire positive change, like sustainable practices, face lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. They will feel inspired by the company's show of effort to work with a more eco-conscious mindset. and it will encourage mindfulness and gratitude, increasing overall morale in the workplace.
2. Sustainable Wood
What is it?
Due to the many uses and natural composition of wood, it gets its own category in the recycling world. Sustainable wood is different in that, instead of being made from repurposed wood, sustainable wood is actually wood that comes from sustainably managed forests. These forests are handled and constantly observed by specialists in order to prevent damage to the eco-systems, wildlife, and the forest itself. These trees are only used when specialists give the green light, and they are carefully removed while keeping the environment and how it will be affected in mind.
How do they help?
Through the use of sustainable wood, we can help meet the demand for wood products without further destroying the environment around us. Besides forming a natural ecological habitat, forests are an important carbon sink because of their ability to filter CO2 out of the air and absorb it. Forests also cover 31% of the land on our planet, much of which has been completely deforested. To help protect what we still have, and to encourage clean breathing, we must make a conscious effort to switch to sustainably sourced wood for office interior designs.
How do they benefit the office?
Beyond the positive impact on the environment, by adding this type of wood to your office design plans or by taking it into consideration when choosing new products, we can create natural accents, floors, walls, countertops, and other pieces that will give warmth and beauty to a space. Having linear or slatted wood panelling in the office can also make it seem more spacious and reduce noise around the workplace. This natural feel to the office creates a relaxed environment to help reduce work stress and increase positive feelings around the office.
3. Upcycled Furniture
What is it?
Upcycled Furniture is furniture created using old or discarded materials. This is different than sustainable materials or sustainable wood because it is created out of existing materials that are then cleaned and repurposed. This is another trend we will be seeing more of this year, as more companies are creating better-looking and long-lasting products with unaltered materials.
How do they help?
This type of furniture is great for helping the environment because it completely removes the process of recycling in a facility to create the materials needed. Slight manufacturing may be needed to reform items into certain shapes but its main purpose is to save on the energy and water that would otherwise be used to completely meltdown these items. This is usually done with items that would otherwise end up in the garbage because they cannot be fully recycled, therefore keeping them out of our landfills.
How do they benefit the office?
Other than having an extremely unique furniture piece in the office, upcycled furniture tends to be easily maintained, repaired, durable, adaptable, and timeless. These pieces are also made to function and look like brand new products at a cheaper price. Most companies that create these products are also super flexible with custom orders, offering a wide arrangement of materials and colour options, so you and your designer can get creative.
4. Biophilic Design
What is it?
The biophilic design stems from our instinctive bond with nature and natural elements. This concept centers around the idea that the indoors should mimic the great outdoors to improve people’s lives and mental health. This insight has been backed up with increasing amounts of research. According to the National Human Activity Pattern Survey, humans today spend 90% of their time indoors, so it has become necessary to bring the outdoors in and create environments that reference nature on multiple levels.
How does this help?
Through biophilic design we can create naturally wild spaces that turn workplaces into living, working, eco-systems. By incorporating elements like living or green walls, rooftop and vertical gardens, indoor greenhouses, naturally lit glass panels, stone surfaces and indoor grassy areas, as well as renewable energy sources like green water systems, and air purification systems you are dramatically decreasing your company's carbon footprint.
How does this benefit the office?
By going beyond just adding a few plants here and there you are reducing stress, promoting physical, mental, and emotional health, boosting workers' energy levels, and encouraging creativity. Workers' happiness and health can be dramatically improved by biophilic design, improving employee performance and job satisfaction.
5. Natural Lighting
What is it?
Natural lighting, also known as daylighting, is a concept that efficiently brings natural light into space using features like windows and skylights, thereby reducing artificial lighting requirements. To maximize natural lighting, businesses are incorporating different daylight design techniques like adding coloured and smooth surfaces that reflect light.
How does it help?
By using more natural lighting techniques, or by incorporating natural light into workspaces, we use less energy, therefore saving on natural resources as well as overhead costs. Making use of natural light can save up to 75 percent of the energy used for lighting buildings. Therefore, the more natural lighting, the better.
How does it benefit the office?
Natural light is an important trend in office design that can transform spaces, make them healthier, and lower electricity costs. Letting the light filter in can create a natural warmth that you don’t get with industrial heating. It will give workers a dose of vitamins while heating the space, meaning companies won’t have to spend as much on heating during sunny winter days. Natural lighting has also been proven to increase health and comfort levels for building occupants, regardless of the building.
Want to Incorporate Sustainability Policies into Your Workplace?
Inevitably, furniture can become old, broken, or outdated, but before you throw it in the trash, ask yourself if it could be used elsewhere. It might work for another place within your company, the components could be recyclable, or they could be donated to an organization in need. If everyone takes the small steps toward sustainable furniture manufacturing and repurposing or recycling furnishings, we can make bigger strides towards a more sustainable tomorrow.
Make sure your company is making the switch to a sustainable tomorrow! Implement a sustainability program in your workplace today by following our 10-step guide!
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