Green buildings can improve health, but also increase profits to their tenants.
A modern man spends 90% of his time indoors. The quality of the indoor environment greatly affects its health, well-being, but also its performance and creativity. It is important to realize that in office buildings people work primarily with their brains. We expect them to think, be focused, creative and as productive as possible. If a person is in a low-quality office environment for a long time or in a low-quality environment in his or her own apartment, he or she is tired, has frequent headaches, is irritated, has a decrease in attention. Many times, the internal environment is the cause of allergies, skin and respiratory diseases.
There are a number of studies that show that quality air in the office can increase staff productivity by up to 10%. Thermal comfort and good illumination by another 12%. Acoustic comfort, but also the use of natural materials, or more green space, are other factors that increase productivity. In green buildings with WELL certification, people themselves feel up to 50% more productive
So is it worth saving on the work environment? Definitely not. In IT companies, for example, less than 10% of the total cost is the cost of space rental and workplace equipment. Personnel costs are up to 90%. If a company pays, for example, 20% more for quality space, the overall cost will increase by only 2%. On the contrary, thanks to higher productivity and lower sickness rate of its employees, it can save 10 – 20% on personnel costs. This means that the investment will return five to ten times.