the sound of sustainability – how acoustic design can help you meet emission targets
As sustainability targets get more ambitious, the more hoops businesses have to jump through to ensure they’re staying on the right side of regulations. Companies are more accountable than ever for their carbon footprint so cutting emissions is of paramount importance.
That starts with the workplace. The vast majority of commercial spaces in the UK haven’t been built with designing sustainability in mind, putting owners of less-than-green offices on the back foot in their efforts to meet fast-approaching sustainability requirements.
It means stakeholders need to take stock of the environmental impact of their office and think about the changes they need to meet sustainability targets or even changing their designs for sustainability. At the same time, as work practices continue to change and employee welfare rises up the agenda, employers also need to consider how wellbeing measures can be rolled into their sustainability efforts.
rising temperatures, rising responsibilities
The impact of the built environment on the natural environment is huge – buildings make up nearly a quarter of all greenhouse emissions in the UK according to the UK Green Building Council and only around 16% of UK offices achieve a BREEAM rating of good to outstanding.
As a result, the UK Government has announced plans to raise the minimum EPC rating of all commercial properties from ‘E’ to ‘B’ by 2030 as part of its sustainability with design strategy. Real estate services firm JLL estimates that means 90% of UK commercial offices will be required to make changes to bring them up to scratch.
As a result it’s essential for office owners to think about ways to minimise carbon emissions by switching to more sustainable building materials and design fittings, as well as finding greener lighting, water and air quality solutions.
ensuring sound design
Once you get involved in the planning stage there’s all sorts of things you can do to make your office as good as can be, especially when it comes to employee welfare. This can be done with office design techniques for sustainability within the office.
The advent of working from home means employers have to work harder to tempt employees into the office. The noise of the workplace is a particular obstacle to this.
Working from home is often more productive without the distractions of the office, and excess noise can lead to higher blood pressure and cause long-term health problems.
By establishing quality noise control from the outset, businesses can nip this issue in the bud – and with Oscar Acoustics’ SonaSpray, they can do it whilst making their office more eco-friendly.
Sonapsray products are non-hazardous and made from environmentally recycled paper. As well as being M1 Classified as Low Emitting Building Materials, Sonaspray can help lower the carbon footprint of any building.
SonaSpray has been applied in some of the UK’s greenest projects, including The Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia. On completion the project was labelled in the media as ‘the UK’s Greenest Building’ and achieved BREEAM outstanding rating and dozens of accolades including RIBA Sustainable Project of the Year.
design for sustainability
To find out how Oscar Acoustics’ SonaSpray could improve the environmental credentials of your commercial space, as well as make your office a quieter, more welcoming space for workers, get in touch today.