by Shane Henson — April 20, 2012—It’s long been said that a happy worker is a more productive worker, but many companies may be interested to know that the environment a person works in can significantly impact their happiness—just like their salary, their relationship with their boss and co-workers, and the level of autonomy they feel they have.
In fact, several experts in the field of green building say the design of the building itself can contribute to boosting employees’ moods, increasing productivity and aiding in employee retention, as was discussed at the Global Engineering Conference in Las Vegas, hosted by Carrier, provider of high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions
“Green building is good business. Green building certifications attract tenants, employees, even students and help to keep them . . . People want to work in green buildings, and comfortable, happy workers are more productive workers,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council, who provided the keynote address at the conference titled “People, Planet and Performance.”
In addition to creating happy workers, green buildings result in life-cycle savings of 20 percent of the construction costs, added Fedrizzi.
Like Fedrizzi, the other speakers at the event said there is a direct correlation between increased productivity and employees who love being in their work space. “People feel good when they feel connected to nature,” said Robert F. Fox Jr., AIA, partner at Cook+Fox Architects and Terrapin Bright Green LLC.
Fox discussed his work at the Bank of America building in New York City during a luncheon address titled “Biophilia: The Instinctive Bond between Humans and Nature,” and said how a building feels can literally impact worker productivity. Providing plenty of access to daylight with floor to ceiling windows and using natural materials like stone, wood, leather and glass throughout the space are keys to “rethinking how we do buildings, he stressed.
With the number one complaint in buildings being the temperature—too hot or too cold—Fox said something as simple as providing employees with temperature control for their space can make a big difference. “Buildings can play an important role in an employer’s goals to attract and retain the best people,” he said.
Numerous studies have shown the impact of biophilia, a concept that promotes the instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems, can impact everything from a patient’s recovery period to increasing sales at a leading national discount chain, added Bill Browning, a keynote speaker during the conference and principal of Terrapin Bright Green.
“The body knows the difference between real and fake nature,” Browning said. “Static is not good. We need that variability; we need that change.”
What does biophilia mean for green building? Browning said there are various levels of bringing nature into a space from gardens and living walls to using natural materials, such as wooden doors, large windows and nature artwork, to designing the nature of the space—or creating a space that is compelling and exhilarating
