Green office buildings improve the environment and employee health. For these reasons, more business owners like yourself are learning how to design a green office building. However, a lot of design details goes into the planning process of a successful building project. In order to decrease energy consumption and reap all of the benefits of a green office building, you must consider numerous factors. Fortunately, these factors can be easily implemented into your design. In this post, you will learn how to design a green office building for a better working environment.
Determine The Building’s Size And Shape
To begin learning how to design a green office building, you need to carefully consider the best sizes and shapes. Many business owners trying to build their own office buildings assume bigger is better. When it comes to green office buildings, this is not the case. Smaller is more efficient for your purposes. More complex shapes may also be more efficient. For example, Israel is home to the country’s first LEED platinum building, which has its own unique shape. Sketch, or have your architect sketch, various non-traditional building shapes that limit artificial usage. Once you have established the best size and shape for your building, you can move onto the next step in the designing process.
Introduce Green Materials
Continue the designing process by determining which materials are green and which are less efficient. Business owners who have successfully designed green office buildings use refurbished, recycled, and reclaimed materials. Some also use sustainable materials. At first glance, these products do not sound very safe to build with. However, the highest quality recycled, refurbished, reclaimed, and sustainable materials are reliable. Use environmentally friendly materials to design a green office building.
Rely On Natural Lighting
Another component to consider when learning how to design a green office building is natural light. The greenest office buildings rely on natural light and use little-to-no artificial light. To maximize natural lighting, include as many windows as you can in your office building. When the sun is shining, lights will be unnecessary. Put Ethernet-powered LED connected lighting in for employees working after dark. Such lighting can even be controlled from smartphones, which increases the chances of employees remembering to turn off the lights before leaving. Furthermore, you can automate facilities so that no electricity is wasted when there is nobody around. Using windows and automation, rely mostly on natural light to design a green office building successfully.
Limit Indoor Pollutants
The most efficient green office buildings limit indoor pollutants. In the middle east, there is more than enough air quality and pollution issues to handle outdoors. When designing for indoors, this is one factor that improves your employees’ health conditions. In non-green office buildings, employees breathe in low quality air that is filled with tons of harmful pollutants. To weaken pollutants that consume the air you and your employees breathe in, establish quality ventilation to filter the air. As a result, your employees’ cognitive performance will improve. Higher quality indoor air boosts employees’ decision-making skills, which enhances your company’s performance. Determine ways to lower indoor pollutants when designing a green office building.
Implement A Dual Plumbing System
Additionally, implement a dual plumbing system to design a green office building. Most office buildings overuse water daily. If every employee in a high occupancy building washes their hands on a daily basis, water usage skyrockets. To maximize water efficiency, use a dual plumbing system. This type of system recycles greywater for toilet use and, therefore, wastes less of the water you and your employees use. Even the largest office buildings can lower their water usage on a daily basis. Office buildings also use low-water use toilets and faucets to further enhance their water-saving processes. Utilize all of the above to design a water efficient green office building.
Whether you want to learn how to design a green office building for the well-being of the environment or your employees, you need to understand the best ways to design one. Firstly, create a smaller building design and consider non-traditional shapes that are more efficient. Opt for green materials such as refurbished and recycled products. Primarily rely on natural light and use Ethernet-powered LED connected lighting when artificial light is necessary. Develop a filtering system to reduce pollutants in the air. Finally, implement a dual plumbing system to make your building more water efficient. Now, you know how ot design a green office building.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable. Reach out directly to [email protected]
