Ten questions answered for occupiers of sustainable commercial buildings

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The ten questions were developed through industry consultation - including a cross-industry, cross-geography workshop, telephone surveys, and a series of focus groups in 2005 and 2006. For each question, specialised authors provided brief answers and links to further information. Over time, the ten questions are likely to evolve through additional surveys and in response to your comments on this website.

How can I profit from occupying a sustainable commercial building and fitout?

Sustainable commercial buildings are designed to use fewer resources such as energy and water, to operate them; thereby lowering operating costs for the tenant and owner. Sustainable commercial buildings contain initiatives to improve Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) which can contribute to improved occupant health, reducing the number of sick days and improving worker productivity. A sustainable commercial building is also often designed with more flexibility, enabling it to be more easily adapted over time as the business changes. This has the potential to reduce re-fitting costs, or the need to relocate.

See Profit and the business case for sustainable commercial buildings, The business case for occupiers of sustainable commercial buildings and Indoor environment, productivity and sustainable commercial buildings for more information.

How can a sustainable tenancy help meet my corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations?

A sustainable commercial building can help a company gain a competitive advantage , through lowering its costs and differentiating itself from its competitors. It can help a company achieve its vision of sustainability and contribute to a culture of sustainability. It can provide opportunities for gained shared value, and be used to demonstrate the company's performance in its sustainability report.

See Aligning mission, vision and strategy for sustainable commercial buildings and Culture change for sustainable commercial buildings for more information.

What are the legislated sustainability requirements for tenancies?

The answer to this question is dependent on the meanings of the terms 'commercial buildings' and 'sustainability'. In The legislative context of sustainable commercial buildings article, 'commercial buildings' are generally taken to mean buildings of Class 5 - 9 in accordance with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) Classification (Section 1.3) and 'sustainability' indicates issues associated with energy efficiency, water efficiency, material usage or indoor environment conditions.

The current mandatory requirements - common to most States and Territories - are the operating Energy Efficiency Provisions of the BCA (Section 2.1 & 2.2) and Existing Building Provisions (Section 2.3). Sustainability requirements and related legislations (Section 2.4) particular to each Australian state and territory are listed under States and Territories Provisions.

Water issues are regulated under Plumbing Code of Australia but its current content is mainly about installation. Material usage regulations are currently mainly about waste disposal which are under state and territory control, well established long before the term sustainability was invented. Similarly, there are long established requirements in the BCA about indoor environment conditions such as indoor air quality, sound, light and disabled access.

See The legislative context of sustainable commercial buildings for more information.

What value is a sustainability rating?

A building with a certified sustainability rating provides confidence to the facility tenants, occupiers and users that it meets the performance associated with that rating. This flows to other benefits, including:

• recognition and prestige
• operational savings (e.g. in water and energy use)
• improved social interactions, worker well-being and productivity.

When responsible environmental performance is validated, the companies involved can improve their corporate social responsibility (CSR) status, and gain significant market advantage associated with 'doing well by doing good', a concept that is also known as 'virtuous circles'.

Building occupiers who understand both the intended and actual performance of the facility they are in usually also tend to behave and act appropriately - they will get the most out of the facility and feel better about their work environment, and the building will perform in a more efficient manner.

See Performance setting and measurement for sustainable commercial buildings for more information.

How much does it cost to achieve a five star rating?

The cost to achieve 5 Green Stars rating can vary a lot because this depends on many factors including size, geometry and type of building, whether it is new or existing, knowledge, experience and skills of the delivery team, innovation and risk appetite in technology, process and procurement method, among others. In some cases, it may be possible to achieve a high rating without additional cost while in others, it can cost up to 10% or more than that for a comparable building delivered without explicit sustainability goals in mind. However, this is not the full picture. The payback period for the extra investment (when it costs more) should also be considered. For example, a 10% extra investment may be fully recovered within 10 years, after which any further financial benefits are extras (which a comparable building without sustainability features will not have).

See Performance setting and measurement for sustainable commercial buildings for more information.

What is a green lease?

A Green Lease sets environmental performance criteria and responsibilities as part of the lease agreement. It outlines the committments of the owner and tennant to fitout as well as operate the building to achieve sustainable performance goals. Green Leases have been developed and supported by large investors in commercial buildings, such as Investa Property Group. A Green Lease provides a way for exisiting building stock to improve performance as well as new buildings to achieve their design potential. The benefits range from resource efficiency through to corporate responsibility and include attracting and retaining staff and employee wellbeaing and productivity.

See Green Lease Guide For Commercial Office Tennants for more information.

How can I engage my employees in achieving sustainability performance?

There are two aspects to this question:

• Engaging employees to achieve sustainability in your office
• Engaging employees to achieve sustainability in your organisation

In principle, there are two steps. The first is to create the motivation for change, so employees want to adopt sustainability practices. The second is to enable change, by making it easy for employees to adopt sustainability practices. It's also important to gain broad participation from all employees, not just the enthusiasts (although enthusiasts can play an important role as 'change agents'). See the following key tips, which contain links to further information.

Encourage active and widespread participation in decision-making, involving all levels and sectors of your organisation. This encourages a culture of innovation and creates buy-in. Sustainability initiatives are more likely to be robust and easily implemented, because they have been developed collaboratively and examined from all perspectives.

Start where your employees are when developing any kind of change program. This ensures whatever you develop will be well targeted and relevant. Engage employees to find out about the diversity of values, interests, perceived barriers and opportunities in relation to what you're trying to change, preferred learning styles, etc.

Encourage a learning culture within your organisation, by creating information sharing and mutual learning opportunities. The best way to incorporate sustainability into any organisation is to capture the creative thinking of employees and encourage learning and feedback, so that organisational knowledge about sustainability continues to evolve. Develop processes that encourage creative thinking, critical thinking and reflection, and systems thinking.

Build in accountability and incentives, to motivate employees to change their behaviour and encourage sustained behaviour change.

See Aligning mission, vision and strategy for sustainable commercial buildings, Culture change for sustainable commercial buildings and Education, awareness and training for sustainable commercial buildings for more information.

Will a sustainable fitout really improve productivity?

An environmentally sustainable fitout will not necessarily improve occupant productivity in office buildings. In fact the key factors which link the building and fitout design to occupant productivity are largely independent of sustainability considerations.

Fitout features that enhance productivity include those that reduce discomforts and distractions, as well as those that enable more choice and control over the environment. The key characteristics of building and fitout design which can potentially enhance productivity include:

• Workspace layout and flexibility - to meet the spatial, acoustic and communication requirements of a range of work tasks and contexts.
• Workstation density - lower density can minimise distractions and interruptions.
• Workstations, furniture and equipment that are ergonomic, comfortable, and user-controllable.
• Psycho-social features such as access to social spaces, daylight and views.
• Thermal, acoustic and luminous environments (IEQ) that provide adequate comfort levels for specific tasks, and as much user control as possible.
• Indoor air quality - that provides clean, fresh air with low levels of airborne toxins, odours and particles to reduce building-related illness in sensitive population sectors

It should be noted that although good IEQ can be an important factor for productivity, recent case studies in Australia and the US have shown that being 'green' by itself does not necessarily guarantee better occupant satisfaction with IEQ, and good IEQ on it's own, does not necessarily guarantee improved productivity, independently of the other factors.

Assessing the link between building/interior design and productivity can be complex, because productivity indicators are often highly specific to the context of the work being conducted. Design of a fitout which enhances productivity requires careful consideration of the issues listed above, with reference to specific work and business contexts and goals.

See Indoor environment, productivity and sustainable commercial buildings for more information.

How can I make sure the owner delivers on sustainability?

The occupant can include sustainability goals in the lease agreement. Green Leases have been developed and supported by large property investors such as Investa Property Group and State Governments who are also committed to improving the sustainability of tenancies. A Green Lease outlines the committments of both the owner and tennant for achieving sustainability outcomes.

See Green Lease Guide For Commercial Office Tennants for more information.

What is the value of a post-occupancy evaluation?

A post occupancy evaluation can be a tool for employee awareness raising and learning. It facilitates employee participation in organisational decision-making, and can heighten employee awareness about the link between their actions and the sustainability performance of the office. You may want to use the evaluation to gather employee feedback about ideas for behaviour change, as well as barriers to and opportunities for change.

See Education, awareness and training for sustainable commercial buildings for more information.