Finished Product - Social
There is growing evidence that building occupiers are seeing environmentally benign buildings as a significant improvement. Building tenants influence building design to a much greater degree than was the case during the 1980s and this has had, and continues to have, a marked effect on office building design and specification. Surveys in the early 1990s, for example, showed that 89% of office occupiers were against air-conditioned buildings.
Consider staff costs, e.g. maximising satisfaction and productivity through a healthy environment.
It is increasingly unlikely that buildings will have a single use throughout their lifespan, as neighbourhood composition changes increase more rapidly, through demographic and economic transformation. A key feature of maintaining high levels of occupant satisfaction throughout changing uses and users is the continuing use of feedback mechanisms to discover how users perceive the building, and where issues lie. Feedback can be used to help target resources most effectively for existing buildings, but intrinsically can also help to improve satisfaction levels, as people feel that their opinions are valued.
The Bennetts Associates New Offices (demonstration number 326) features the use of appropriate low-tech environmental construction methods in a sensitive refurbishment of their own office accommodation.
Sustainability and embodied energy have been considered when selecting materials and components for the building: windows are mild steel, carpets are made from recycled materials, and linoleum has been used rather than vinyl flooring. Wherever possible, timber used in the new offices was salvaged from buildings on the site that had fallen into disrepair.
However, environmental issues are not the only features of sustainability important to this project. Staff consultation was, and still is, an important feature of the project. Staff were consulted throughout the design process and feedback was given via office meetings, and a post-occupancy evaluation was underway as this report was published.
The social and economic fabric of the area around the offices has deteriorated over the years, and the refurbishment of the offices will have a very positive impact here. Bennetts could have moved their offices to a different part of London, with the likelihood that these buildings would have deteriorated further, but instead have chosen to contribute to the regeneration of the area through improving the building fabric and retaining the economic and social benefits that thriving businesses bring.
Encourage community use of building through the DQI and policy.
Good management of buildings, as well as good design, has a significant effect on perceptions of an area. Statistics show that crime levels are higher in areas where the quality of the built environment is poor, and people generally feel less safe in such areas. Low occupancy levels tend to lead to higher levels of vandalism, and therefore poorer public perception, and so a vicious cycle is created.
The brief for the Cambridgeshire Heritage and Archive Centre (demonstration number 269) called for an innovative design and construction of a low-energy building using sustainable materials. The project provides a secure facility to store archive and archaeological materials, together with office and laboratory accommodation for documenting, sorting and treating the material, and public access areas including a library and search room. More unusually, however, it specifically aims to provide broader community use of the facilities, with areas for artists workshops and exhibitions, drama performances and public demonstrations of conservation work.