Green Office: Tips for Beginners

Text: Kseniya Ag apova, sustainability manager at the multinational company Jones Lang LaSalle Lately the word combination “green office” has become more frequent on the Russian real estate market. Both foreign and Russian companies prefer to lease the premises where comfortable working conditions are combined with ecological components. How to create a really “green office”? We are going to demonstrate it using the new Moscow office of Jones Lang LaSalle as an example.

BUILDING AND ERGONOMICS OF SPACE

Jones Lang LaSalle office is situated in the business-centre “Vivaldi plaza”, close to Garden Ring and Paveletsky railway station, which connects the city centre with Domodedovo airport. The building satisfies the green criteria of site selection – there used to be Moscow fitting factory, and reclamation of industrial land for redevelopment is the main principle of sustainability of the territories.

Business centre “Vivaldi Plaza” is easily accessed by public transport: by the Underground, by bus, by tram and even by train. Within 400 m from the building there are banks, the post, chemist shops and numerous trade and service enterprises, which allows office workers to avoid using personal transport to fulfill daily tasks.

The form of the building and the façade architecture contributes to high rates of space ergonomics and energy-efficiency. In the daytime panoramic glazing provides maximum natural lighting, thus reducing the need for artificial lighting and the narrow form of the building increases the light penetration depth. In addition, due to intelligent space organization you can enjoy excellent views of the city, which is quite important for office workers. They get a chance to refocus, which diminishes the risk of eye disease and exhaustion. From the author’s experience: moving to the new office has boosted the motivation and working hours have become more productive.

It’s worth mentioning the space organization in Jones Lang LaSalle new office. Although not included in the notion of “green office”, it has a positive impact on employees’ mental outlook. The new office was designed to increase the possibilities for informal communication inside the company and with outside counterparties. There is a lot of space for interaction and cooperation – from ordinary conference rooms to break out zones and informal “telephone booths”, where you can conduct small meetings or communicate with clients.

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Text: Kseniya Agapova, sustainability manager at the multinational company Jones Lang LaSalle