What makes @WORKSPACES sustainable? 

With the climate struggling to cope with the weight of carbon emissions, pollution, plastic waste and a lack of sustainable sources, it's important to factor in all the ways business owners can help make more responsible environmental choices.

When you look around you, different parts of society are working together to respond to our evolving environment. Parliament provides strategies and targets to make building structures more sustainable and your business can do its part to help respond to our climate challenges by actively making more eco-friendly decisions, especially when it comes to your workplace.

People spend the majority of their day at their workspace, so having suitable worksites can have a big impact on overcoming the climate crisis. As well as a positive impact, environmentally aware choices are more liveable and durable through the different stages of your continued business growth. Sustainable office structures are designed to use less power and water as they operate, giving you more flexibility as well as saving on your overhead costs.

The more that you include sustainability in your organisation’s practices, from the building you choose as your professional location to the small changes you make in your office supply corner, the more you prime your business for growth in a changing world.

Why businesses need to operate in sustainable offices

As a business owner and decision maker, you’ve probably heard sustainability mentioned in conversations around leadership and business structure. That’s because environmental awareness and response are fast becoming a strategy for creating long-term value, crucial for ensuring you’re running an operation that can last well beyond your retirement years.

Targeting sustainability prepares businesses for unforeseen circumstances and gives you more flexibility down the track for things like energy supply shortages or government mandates around star-rated offices. By taking into consideration how an organisation operates in the ecological, social and economic environments, you’ll be well armed to tackle whatever future events might come your way. 

The approach is built on the assumption that developing strategies together fosters longevity. Knowing that you’re putting your effort towards an organisation that lasts long after you’re gone empowers your team to adapt with you to different stages of business growth. Staff and customers will also see that you’re in it for the long haul, and not handling an unprofessional get-rich-quick scheme.

Operating your business in a sustainable location is part of growing your organisation for a lifetime. You’re planning for an evolving world and making sure you keep up with the times, so your principal palate of work needs to adapt with you.

3 sustainable building practices at new @WORKSPACES sites

Professionals are finding more ways to build sustainable structures, so you and your team can focus more on putting in the work to give your business all round resilience. 

In our new @WORKSPACES sites, we’ve taken on the following practices, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg for ways we are making sustainability part of the way you work.

1. Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater is a vastly underused resource in business. It falls on rooftops for free and in most places in Australia, you can find plenty of it. 

Rainwater harvesting is a process that captures, stores and reuses rainfall water. The system works by collecting rain from roof gutters, filtering it and storing the water to be used for watering plants and flushing toilets. 

This minimises the demand for treated tap water for building operations and nets long-term savings on water bills for users and owners. This process also reduces run-off, which can cause flooding and water damage to nearby structures over time. 

Rain usually brings a drop in temperature, so buildings with these setups help with the chill by collecting rainwater. 

2. Efficient insulation

You’re going to end up using more electricity and paying higher utilities if your workplace insulation isn’t adequate. You’ll also need to divert more resources than your business truly needs to operate well, which is why it’s essential to have enough padding between internal and external building structures, without compromising light and ventilation. 

Not only will a well-insulated building be more energy efficient, but it’s also more comfortable to work in and creates an even temperature year-round.

Insulation is a crucial part of a sustainable design structure, helping to keep heat inside the building in winter and cool air inside through summer. 

Insulation is designed and installed to combat the movement of air, which can vary widely from season to season given how diverse Australian weather can be. Since air can move in all directions, insulation is needed in roofs, ceilings, walls and floors to prevent air from leaving and entering, robbing you of effective climate control. As well as filling materials, glazing on windows is necessary as glass leaks large amounts of heat if not treated to a high standard. 

While often overlooked, insulation is one of the most important factors that contribute to a building’s energy efficiency – or inefficiency. Improper insulation leads to owners spending more on heating and cooling, draining natural resources and costing more to run.

Effective insulation minimises the work that central heating, ventilation and cooling systems need to do, which saves energy, gives you more control over your internal climate and reduces your operating costs. Insulated office spaces allow staff and visitors the ability to work comfortably and see higher profit margins for your organisation. 

Combined with thoughtful architecture, a well-insulated and well-designed building provides year-round comfort, reduces cooling and heating needs, and minimises greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Passive cooling

It’s difficult to run your business professionally if you’re worried about how to keep up with increasing utility bills and the effects of climate change on your workspace. The finishing touches can make all the difference, which is why @Workspaces follows through on environmental architecture design with passive cooling solutions.

Passive cooling refers to design choices to: 

• Reduce heat gain - the heat a building picks up from the sun and surrounding air temperature 
• Increase heat loss - from the environment and the people using the building, who also make it warmer if there are more users inside

Tinted windows and well-designed shade can block the more intense heat from the sun which would otherwise lead to heat being absorbed by walls, floor and other room surfaces. Thermal mass acts like a sponge; absorbing heat during the day and radiating it out as the temperature drops in the afternoon and throughout the evening. 

With this in mind, @WORKSPACES selects sustainable buildings that utilise brick over materials like timber, which release heat into the air quicker and make it feel warmer during the hottest parts of the day.

Choosing sustainably-built structures for your business workspace is simpler than ever before due to growing awareness and demand for quality sustainable buildings. As demand grows, more building companies are responding to create energy-efficient workspaces that last. When you include action for climate into your organisation’s values, you’re also making decisions that will affect future generations and give back to your staff and consumers.

Your workplace can have a positive influence on the environment when you choose sustainable workplace options and are mindful of where and how you do business. To see how @WORKSPACES put all this into action, tour our facilities to see the benefits and affordable luxury that sustainable workspaces provide.