The green movement brought forth numerous benefits to everyone. Recognizing the need to lower our carbon footprint and try to lead more sustainable lifestyles made its way in every part of our day-to-day – office design included. That’s why more and more companies are nowadays looking for ways to improve their office spaces to not only make them more energy-efficient but sustainable as well. That said, here are some interesting ideas you should check out.
Be efficient with your lighting
As a rule of thumb, coworking office spaces need to be well illuminated to ensure maximum efficiency and productivity. That being said, however, you want to make sure that your offices are not too bright. Spaces that are too illuminated can have as many negative side effects as poorly lit spaces can. If your offices are too bright, you will not only unnecessarily waste huge amounts of energy – which will inflate your utility bill – but you’ll also have your employees working in an environment that’s simply not comfortable.
So, try to achieve an illumination optimum in your offices and see to it that other parts of your building are not being illuminated when there’s nobody occupying them. Bathrooms, corridors and break rooms should be fitted with lighting solutions that feature motion detectors so that the light stays on only when there’s actually somebody in the room.
Make sure that the air quality is good
Furthermore, you need to make sure that the air quality in your office is at the right level. Here, you should first consider implementing a high-quality HVAC system. If possible, choose the energy-efficient AC system to ensure that you’re not wasting more energy than you need to. Also, encourage your employees to air out their offices as much as possible. This will only further reduce the need for artificial air conditioning and it will improve the quality of indoor air for free. Moreover, you can also consider implementing a beautiful biophilic design in your coworking office space. This feature not only looks great but it will further improve the air quality since plants are already known to have excellent air-purifying properties.
Make the switch to VoIP phone service
Since we’re living in the digital era, it’s high time that businesses find a way to reap all the benefits offered. As such, one of the obvious benefits is certainly transitioning to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions. Making a transition to VoIP not only enables businesses to fully optimize their operations but it also lowers their impact on the environment. For instance, some of the best VoIP solutions available today provide users with the opportunity to shape and alter their phone service needs to entirely fit their business requirements. On top of that, these solutions offer businesses a chance to considerably reduce the necessary hardware solutions as well as the use of paper.
Consider implementing solar power solutions
Next, if you really want to ensure that your coworking office space is energy-efficient, and has as little impact on the environment as possible, you might also want to consider implementing solar power energy solutions. Especially if your business is located in an area that experiences a lot of sunny days, you can greatly benefit from going solar. For instance, in Australia, more and more companies are choosing to switch to eco-friendly solar power. That’s why many companies opt for installing a solar panel in Adelaide to satisfy their energy needs.
Reap the benefits of stellar office design
Moreover, sustainable office design can benefit you in more ways than just cutting your costs. Simply put, both employees and customers alike find eco-conscious businesses more appealing. That’s why, if you play it smart and make sure you boost the sustainability of your office space, you can expect to attract more people your way. It’s safe to say that a good office design that promotes sustainability will attract more quality potential members your way.
Choose the right type of furniture
This may initially sound a bit unrelated, but the furniture you choose for your office space also plays a huge role in determining its sustainability. For starters, you want to make sure that the furniture you choose is well-crafted and of high quality, to avoid having to replace it often. Additionally, you want to look for solutions that could potentially be relocated into a new office space if you ever happen to need to move offices.
Pay attention to your office exterior
Finally, your office exterior will also influence just how sustainable your office building truly is. For instance, if you maintain your landscape well and fill it with different types of low-maintenance plants and greenery, you can actually reduce the amount of air conditioning you’ll need indoors. Furthermore, if you choose the plants carefully, you can even aid various insects by providing them with food and shelter. Additionally, your employees can benefit greatly from having an outdoor lounging area where they can enjoy their break while spending time in the fresh air surrounded by nature. For some additional inspiration, you can always check out different office lounge ideas and settle on the design that works best for your office space.
The office design you decide to go with won’t only affect your employees but your bottom line as well. If you decide to go sustainable and energy-efficient with your design, you won’t only be reducing your carbon footprint but you will also be significantly cutting your utility costs.
