- A new report by Hassell, outlines the commercial realities of greening a workplace
- If a tenant has exclusive access to a rooftop, they'll typically pay a premium
- Indoor plants can boost workplace productivity anywhere from 6% to 35%
Green spaces in offices are shaping up as a key way employers are looking to help encourage workers to come back to the office.
Things like green roofs to terraces, winter gardens and indoor planting are proving popular and attracting a premium, according to a new report.
Hassell Studio, an international design practice, said that in cities across the world, foot traffic is returning to central business districts on the weekends but weekday activity remains far below pre-pandemic levels. People are returning to the city but not to work.
The report, From Office to Oasis, which surveyed landlords, developers, designers, and workplace tenants, and uncovered valuable insights into the most successful design strategies for adding green spaces to office buildings.
Hassell Senior Researcher Dr Daniel Davis said, “Green spaces aren’t always cost-effective. They can be expensive to maintain, and if they’re poorly designed, they often sit unused. By publishing this report, we hope to provide answers on how to make green office spaces places that benefit tenants, the environment and the bottom line.”
The workplace needs green space
From Office to Oasis is a deep dive into the finding from Hassell’s 2022 global workplace survey that fresh air and green space are the two most desired amenities in offices across Australia, China, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
It highlights the trends driving the desire for green workplaces from attracting employees and entertaining clients to improving employee wellness and productivity and meeting environmental commitments.
The Magnetic Workplace – 2022 Workplace Futures Survey report revealed the five specific features people wanted most from their place of work, including free lunch and food, fresh air, gardens and green spaces good coffee and enough space to focus without distraction.
The report found tenants are paying a premium for green space and rooftop access. In 2019, CBRE calculated the premium for an outdoor space was 14% in New York.
Urban greenery boosts property prices, was another key finding from the report. Rent premiums for offices with street-level greenery is 7.8% higher compared to 5.6% for those with no greenery, according to research by the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab.
Engage tenants in the design process
Dr Davis said during the lockdowns of recent years, we became used to working outside on our terraces, in our backyards and being immersed in nature.
“As a result, a green space is now high on the list of priorities for workers thinking about returning to the office,” he said.
Dr Davis said that creating a successful green space involves engaging workplace tenants early in the design process. He recommends making sure you’re set up for ongoing maintenance and operations, and hiring a designer that has done something similar and understands the challenges.
“If you want to design a green space that works, and entices people back to the office, this report provides the answers,” Dr Davis said.
The key ways of adding greenery to a workplace
1. Rooftops and Terraces
The report advised that rooftops and terraces are one of the most common ways to turn otherwise unused space into a valuable amenity, and the best are more than places to access the outdoors. They offer variety. They have a range of spaces for different activities, whether that’s collaborating, eating, resting, or working out.
2. Winter gardens
Hassell advised that plant-filled conservatories that sit just behind a building’s façade, make winter gardens that can be used year-round in most climates. For landlords and building owners, they also have the advantage of being counted as part of a tenant’s Net Lettable Area (NLA).
3. Indoor plants
A simple and cost-effective way of adding greenery to an interior space. Recent research shows that indoor plants were consistently shown to boost workplace productivity anywhere from 6 to 35 per cent, Hassell said.
