Eco-friendly practices in commercial office fit outs

Years ago, your company’s environmental impact was seen as just one of the costs of doing business.

Not any more. Now, it’s rightly seen as something you should be taking active steps to minimise.

Eco-friendly business practices can take many forms such as reviewing your supply chain, choosing to fly less often or simply turning off computers and office lights each evening.

But what about your commercial office fit out? What role do eco-friendly considerations play in the design of your workspace?

Quite a big one.

Environmentally friendly from the outset

As you may know, at Growth Workplace Designs, we begin with an in-depth strategy session where we learn about your business and your team interactions as we seek to design your ‘office utopia’.

At that early stage, we also raise the issue of environmental sustainability, ensuring it is woven into your considerations from the very beginning. It means you have an eco-friendly design from the outset, which is far better than belatedly remembering it when you’ve almost finished!

In these early discussions, we may consider environmentally friendly features such as:

• Biophilic design – incorporating plants and other natural elements
• Natural lighting – to promote wellbeing (e.g. better sleep) and reduce energy consumption
• Flexible workspaces – an adaptable space that lasts longer.

Eco-friendly furniture design

Some types of office furniture contribute to deforestation, pollution and a higher carbon footprint. They may be made in energy-guzzling ways from non-renewable resources using harmful chemicals. And they may not be biodegradable, meaning they end up in landfills when office trends change.

Eco-friendly furniture avoids these pitfalls – and looks good too! Eco-friendly materials include:

• Bamboo – it’s highly renewable because it grows so quickly, making it a better choice than hardwood
• Recycled/upcycled wood – a great way to find some statement pieces
• Repurposing or reupholstering your existing furniture – you don’t necessarily need new items.

An eco-friendly office fit out

We seek to implement eco-friendly practices throughout your office fitout process from design to construction and ongoing maintenance.

The results

If you imagine the office of years ago, you might think of dark cubicles, brash overhead lighting and a rather sterile uniformity.

An eco-friendly office design is so different. It gives you natural light, green plants, clean air and natural materials. It gives you a distinct and personalised look. And it gives you a clear conscience, knowing you’ve done the right thing for your staff’s wellbeing and our shared planet.

How can Growth Workplace Designs help?

Explore our work to see how we incorporate biophilic designs, natural lighting and renewable materials in commercial office fit outs.

If you’d like to learn more, please contact us to discuss your space.