Most of us spend 90% of our lives indoors with more time spent at work than at home. This means that the quality of our workplace environment is of high importance, and the best way to ensure the health of our workplace designs is through the selection of building and finishing materials. An environment containing harmful finishes and materials could take years off our lives.
While the industry is becoming familiar with environmentally sustainable building design, it has still not fully embraced the benefits of healthy commercial workplace environments and the selection of materials which heal rather than harm.
Many countries in Europe are more advanced than Australia in their environmentally sustainable design initiatives, and although the Australian design community has learnt a great deal from many of these, Australia faces different challenges as it has a vastly different climate to Europe. The design industry on the USA’s east coast is also furthering its knowledge and research on sustainable workplace design and material selection, and similar climactic challenges to Australia’s east coast – Sydney in particular.
A series of commercial interiors that I visited an used as case studies for an International Specialised Skills Institute (ISS Institute) international fellowship demonstrated a shift in thinking about how a building is fitted out. The trend now is to use the building structure as the finish. This is in contrast to the conventional method of lining the building structure with finishes like plasterboard, timber or ceiling tiles.
The mantra is “less is more”. The consequence of this trend is that fewer materials are being used in fitouts; and therefore the building structure is required to be completed to a much higher level of finish. This results in commercial workplace’s finish becoming raw and using fewer refined and potentially toxic finishing linings.
Potentially toxic materials are still readily used throughout our commercial workplace environments. This is often due to the cost and lead time restraints of a commercial fitout, the lack of choice in material selection and the lack of industry knowledge and understanding.
The design industry recognizes the detrimental effects of urea formaldehyde; it is a carcinogen and trigger for asthma, eye and nose irritation as well as respiratory complications. The industry, however, does not readily recognise the three other forms of formaldehyde used in commercial fitouts, which including melamine formaldehyde (resin). Melamine formaldehyde is found in laminates, glues, fabrics and composite wood products. Since melamine and laminate are the materials most commonly used in commercial furniture and joinery design, they are not an ideal material selection due to their composition and non-recyclability.
Sustainable alternatives are limited and generally attract a higher cost and/or lead time. One such example is the Forest Stewardship Council-certified timber veneers. Of the case studies visited in the USA a number showcased viable material alternatives to many of our main stream, potentially toxic materials and finishes. Unfortunately, not all are available in Australia. Alternative material selection for a laminated or melamine surface included: linoleum with a self-edge; PaperStone, a solid core product derived from recycled paper with no edging required; EcoTop; and solid-coloured E0 MDF, no edging required.
All the case studies visited received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification, which is the equivalent of the Green Building Council of Australia’s Six Star Green Star certification, and all demonstrated a shift in thinking about types of materials and finishes used. A number of chemicals also identified as those to avoid in workplace design include:
- chlorinated plastics, found in a range of materials from furniture to wall finishes
- formaldehyde, found in furniture, carpet , insulation and ceiling surfaces
- halogenated flame retardants, found in fabrics
- lead and mercury, found in fluorescent light fixtures, light switches and thermostats, and
- bisphenol A (BPA), found in high performance coatings and adhesives.
Successful alternative material selections used in the USA included:
- ceiling surfaces derived from Aspen wood fibres in an inorganic hydraulic cement binder that is biodegradable
- exposed raised access floors with a wax finish
- internal insulations derived from natural materials, including soybean, cotton or recycled denim.
The journey to sustainability is not a singular pathway and no one discipline can make the necessary changes to the building industry. All disciplines need to be involved to promote positive workplace environments, from designers and clients to facility managers and all building tradespeople.
Projects visited during ISS Institute Fellowship:
• The Energy Foundation, San Francisco, by Tannerhecht Architecture
• Autodesk, San Francisco, by HOK
• ClimateWorks Foundation, San Francisco by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
• San Francisco Federal Building, San Francisco, by Morphosis Architects
• 901 Cherry, San Bruno, by William McDonough + Partners
• Heifer International, Little Rock by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects
A copy of the report, Sustainable Workplace Design, 2010, is available on the ISS Institute website issinstitute.org.au
Text /Alisa Moss
Associate Interior Designer
Daryl Jackson Alastair Swayn
The first educational project to achieve 5 Star Green Star in the ACT was designed by DJAS.
This design is recognised for its commitment to sustainability and its array of environmental features and initiatives, combining technology with the fundamental principles of good passive design, These include an efficient plan which supports sharing of facilities and offers adaptable spaces within a coherent whole; optimising access to conrtrolled solar gain to the foyer, workspaces and courtyards; rainwater harvesting and recycling for toilet flushing and irrigation, and water treatment on site via carefully landscaped retention ponds; a 40 kw photovoltaic array and electric vehicle re-charging station; as well as the use of energy-saving fittings and appliances.
The first 5 Star - Green Star rated building in Australia, 8 Brindabella Circuit, Brindabella Business Park, was designed by DJAS. |
This building also includes the first 4 Star – Green Star rated office interior in Australia for the Australian Research Council. Complimentary to Sustainability, we are also committed to creating “Healthy Buildings”. We know that 50% of air quality problems in buildings come from dust collected in ceilings, carpets, and air conditioning ducts.
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Link to our 'Inspired Green' brochure
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