Environmentally-Conscious Space Has Become a Key Demand By Tenants

Premium office space around the world is being redefined to accommodate the strong demand for sustainable and healthy buildings. 

According to JLL’s Premium Office Rent Tracker research report covering 127 office markets and submarkets in 112 cities, a high number of premium office buildings surveyed—84%—boast an environmental sustainability certification such as LEED or BREEAM, widely used benchmarks for green buildings.

In high-end markets, that number climbs to 100%, underscoring the shift toward environmental consciousness by both landlords who sought the certifications and tenants who chose to occupy green buildings.

‘Sustainability is Increasingly the Clients’ Focus’

“In our conversations with clients, they’re considering the things that impact their space, people and business—and sustainability is increasingly the focus when they’re making decisions across their real estate design, procurement and location,” Sheila Botting, Avison Young’s principal & president, America’s professional services, tells GlobeSt. 

She said that the companies Avison Young services often consider whether an office building has LEED/sustainable building standards, strong walkability scores and proximity to amenities and public transit in their real estate location decisions toward sustainability.

Additionally, “new hybrid work environments and sustainable design fosters the opportunity for employees to commute less, also reinforcing the focus toward sustainability,” she said. “We work closely with our clients to deliver economic, social and environmental value at every level.”

‘Wellness Is a Driving Factor’

In tandem with the push for sustainability, wellness has also become an important driver for occupants.  Mancini Duffy integrates sustainability into all of its interior projects as employee health and wellness is a driving factor for its clients, Jessica Mann-Amato, design principal & co-owner, tells GlobeSt. “This helps to recruit and retain employees—and to maintain employee happiness and productivity.”

She said it starts with providing good air and water quality, light and thermal comfort controls, acoustic comfort and healthy materials. 

“We encourage wellness by providing spaces that foster innovation, community, and mental health. We promote overall health initiatives by designing spaces with active design strategies and encouraging healthy food programs through the design of food service areas.”

Businesses ‘Reevaluating Their Long-Term Needs and Values’

For many businesses, providing a healthy and sustainable environment is part of an overall push to make the return to the office more appealing to employees. “The initial impact of Covid-19 had organizations quickly focus on their most pressing challenges, like abruptly shifting to a remote workforce, maintaining business continuity, and making sure their employees remained productive, happy and healthy,” Kurt von Koch, CEO of FM:Systems, tells GlobeSt. “Now, like many employees are doing during the Great Resignation, businesses are reevaluating their long-term needs and values, including how to make the return to the office more sustainable.”

However, von Koch doesn’t foresee sustainability as a trend that will go away.

“It will become both a competitive advantage for employers and a necessity for businesses looking to push into the next phase of a ‘new normal.’ Taking strategic steps to improve the actual performance of buildings, its impact on the environment, and the performance of the employees occupying those spaces will be key to a successful return,” he says. 

“Companies leveraging technology to enable their employees with choice and options to not only manage these types of workplace environmental aspects, but also allow employees the flexibility to make decisions based on how and where they can get their best work done, will set themselves apart as a future-focused organization.”