In order to ensure your business can pave the way forward to go as green as possible, sustainability has to be considered at the beginning of your office renovation or redesign project. It can also be incorporated in the office renewal stage, to support your business’ green vision. 
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Here is a checklist of things to consider as your first step to incorporating sustainability strategically. 
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Choose an office located in an environmentally sustainable building

The Green Building Index (GBI) is Malaysia’s industry recognised green rating tool for buildings to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness among Developers, Architects, Engineers, Planners, Designers, Contractors and the Public about environmental issues and our responsibility to the future generations. 
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The GBI rating tool provides an opportunity for developers and building owners to design and construct green, sustainable buildings that can provide energy savings, water savings, a healthier indoor environment, better connectivity to public transport and the adoption of recycling and greenery for their projects and reduce our impact on the environment.

If you are unable to house your office space in a GBI certified building, there’s always room for improvement elsewhere. Depending on your fit-out budget, there are various methods you can enhance environmental performance such as  adding insulation to the inside of external walls, increasing natural lighting in the office space to reduce dependency on artificial lighting. In terms of energy consumption, natural ventilation can cool down your office building and are less expensive than high energy consumption air conditioning. Alternatively, install smart, energy efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems wherever possible. 
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Select high-quality, energy efficient lighting

Where possible, it is highly advisable to fill your office space with as much natural lighting as possible. If your office is heavily reliant on artificial lighting due to highly-tinted windows or curtains and blinds, a good option is to opt for light-emitting diode (LED) technology. This consumes less power than traditional bulbs and gives out more lumens (brightness). LED bulbs currently offer the same natural-looking “warm” light as incandescents and are also more reliable than they used to be, as they emit less heat compared to traditional bulbs. This is a plus point when it comes to your air conditioning bills, as cooling systems would be working far less harder to counteract the heat emitted otherwise.  (which means your air conditioning system doesn’t have to work as hard to counteract them), and often have better warranties. For more information, consult a lighting expert or project management office consultant on how to maximise your lighting and create an ambient work environment.

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Install an automatic shut-off system for equipment on standby

If you walk into the average office after work hours, the likelihood of finding most computers, monitors, lights and manually-controlled air conditioning systems turned on is high. In today’s rapidly evolving environment of the Internet of Things (IoT), intelligent and reliable energy-aware technologies can be installed and made available to provide a more intelligent and efficient use of electricity consumption in workspaces. Automated sensors designed to shut off non-essential supply of devices can be installed and big-data user pattern cognition and analysis can provide a more accurate and intelligent system to shut down lights, airconditioning and the works after hours. Other simple solutions include installing timers on appliances to automatically shut down equipment out-of-hours.
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There are a myriad of other corporate office solutions that can lead towards a more sustainable office design. For more information on how we can help make your workspace more efficient, consult us today for a free quote.

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