Occupiers Seeking Space

​Finding the right space for their business is very important for any occupier. Including sustainability characteristics at the outset of the search for space can help inform better building selection and a design process to ensure that Occupier Benefits are capitalised upon.

Occupiers should, at the earliest opportunity, undertake a process to identify and record all requirements of their new office. The Requirements Brief should:

  • Aim to cover the whole project lifecycle.
  • Focus not just on conventional characteristics, such as location, size and rental costs, but establish and record all sustainability requirements using the themes identified in the Requirements Framework.
  • Be reviewed and updated at key stages, with the search for space being the first key stage.

To ensure that newly identified space aligns with sustainability objectives and benefits are realised, the following key principles should be considered by occupiers when seeking space...

1. Consider How the New Space Aligns with Core Business Values

The space a business calls home directly communicates their values to employees, clients, customers and wider stakeholders. Occupiers should be clear from the outset of their vision, objectives and ambitions in this regard when seeking new space. Clarity at this early stage will help define key requirements for letting agents in their search for space, as well as give direction to architects and contractors in the design and build and, ultimately, for occupation.

Discussions with informed lettings agents can help to refine objectives in the context of market knowledge and other potential requirements such as lease length. For example, occupiers might consider taking on previously occupied space without substantial changes to their fit-out. Such an approach could open up a wider potential marketplace, demonstrate commitment to resource efficiency, and save significant time and money in configuring the space for occupancy.

Questions to help prioritise issues

1. Do you want to improve staff wellbeing, productivity, retention and employee attraction?

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Although realising benefits of improved health, wellbeing and productivity will be closely linked with fit-out Design considerations, some building-level aspects include:

  • Any relevant sustainability certification belonging to building e.g. WELL Core & Shell (see Rating Tools).
  • Extent and quality of daylight levels and penetration in to floor plates.
  • Indoor air quality as a result of passive measures and/or HVAC provisions.
  • Provision of facilities for staff and visitors who cycle.
  • Access to green space or private amenity space e.g. roof terraces.
  • Local and on-site amenities for staff.

2. Do you want to promote occupant interaction and collaboration?

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The type and configuration of work space can significantly impact how staff interact and communicate with each other, and how successful this is. The size and shape of floorplates, as well as the number of floors and means of movement between them are all relevant factors. In selecting space it is helpful to consider the following:

  • Types of spaces required for core activities, e.g. individual working, break-out spaces, formal/informal meeting rooms etc.
  • Any key environmental requirements, e.g. low noise, black-out spaces, low vibration for sensitive equipment etc.
  • Working styles e.g. dedicated desks and/or hot desking.
  • Supporting uses required, e.g. catering, reprographics, extensive server rooms etc.
  • Key relationships between areas, e.g. proximity of sales to customer support teams.

3. Do you want to enable easy access to all building users?

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Consider:

  • The needs of staff and visitors in travelling to the building, e.g. proximity to public transport nodes.
  • How deliveries and collections would be made.
  • Access to and around the building for people with disabilities should also be considered. 

4. Do you want to achieve good operational efficiency?

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Service charge and operational costs of occupying space will vary depending on how efficiently the building is run. Whilst sometimes complex, occupiers should seek to obtain as much information as possible to meaningfully assess longer term costs and allow comparisons to be made on a total operational expenditure (TotEx) basis over the lifetime of the lease length. The design and maintenance of HVAC plant and lighting are key systems in this regard. Occupiers should involve their own office managers and facilities management team in this assessment.

The TotEx approach, i.e. including maintenance and cleaning, rather than only upfront capital expenditure provides a more informed viewpoint for decision-making when choosing a new office space. 

The BBP Real Estate Environmental Benchmark can be a useful tool to undertake a simple comparison of energy usage and costs, as well as any Display Energy Certificate if the previous occupier was a public body or had undertaken them on a voluntary basis.

5. Do you want to meet any Corporate Sustainability Targets?

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Many occupier organisations have sustainability objectives, policies and procedures in place. These can range from simple environmental policies, to certified environmental management systems, up to comprehensive corporate social responsibility commitments and publicly reported targets and performance.

An informed choice of space can positively support an occupier in meeting their objectives. Conversely, a poor choice of space can negatively impact performance and progress. When selecting a building it may be useful to consider:

If the building has any environmental ratings or certifications in place e.g. BREEAM, LEED or EPC (see Ratings Tools). These can provide simple indicators of quality and give some confidence that consideration is given to resource efficiency within the base building’s design.

If the management of common parts, in any multi-let building, is undertaken in accordance with an environmental management system, and if this is certified e.g. to ISO 14001

If any relevant enhancements or upgrades are planned by the building owner, e.g. replacement of boilers with more efficient plant.

Further questions to consider

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The World Green Building Council provide a helpful list of questions for occupiers seeking new space to raise with the owner’s letting or sales agent: Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Offices Toolkit: Guidance for Tenants

2. Appoint a Letting Agent Who Understands the Value of Sustainability

Ensure that any appointed agent understands and can articulate the occupiers’ objectives as set out in the Requirements Brief. They should also know how sustainable building features can contribute to objectives and deliver benefits to the occupier. Make sure that all of the agents’ letting team have a basic understanding of sustainability, i.e. not only those in the ‘sustainability team’ but frontline negotiators.

A simple approach is to require the lettings agents to familiarise themselves with the BBP Transactional Agents Sustainability Toolkit.

3. Obtain Sustainability Details from the Owner

An owner’s leasing team or agent representative should be able to provide details relating to the sustainability aspects of the building. This should include details on what is feasible within the space, which may not be covered within any marketing material. It is important to enquire for additional information if it is not readily available. This will support further discussions during Engagement and Agreement.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Solutions Scrapbook

Occupier Sustainability Checklist 

GVA placed importance on staff and landlord engagement in their fit-out process at their London HQ. The process began before the lease was signed as they engaged with the landlord and managing agents by using their bespoke occupier sustainability checklist. This provided them with baseline information on the operation of the building and expected performance.

Outlining a Vision 

When Landsec chose to move its headquarters, the fundamental aim for the project was to achieve “One Company, One Vision” and the relocation to new offices gave multiple opportunities to realise this vision. Two options were reviewed, either a move to a new Landsec building or refurbish existing Landsec stock. In selecting the latter choice, the opportunity emerged to renovate and adapt Cardinal Place and transform an older development as part of the regeneration of Victoria.

The team was determined that the employee experience would be markedly different than before. The old offices were spread across eight floors and split into small units, which meant that employees rarely spent time together without pre-planning. There were also issues with lighting and temperatures. In response to this, the design of 80-100 Victoria Street needed to support and promote collaboration, enhance the workplace experience for occupiers and support the business' goals and aspirations. The single floor solution at 80-100 Victoria Street was the perfect solution to provide this, offering opportunities for openness, transparency and close collaboration for all Landsec employees. Find out more about the fit-out here. 

Environmental Monitoring & Occupant Surveys

Quantitative environmental monitoring data can be overlaid on qualitative data, such as occupant satisfaction surveys, to gain a thorough understanding of correlations between how staff perceive their working environment and actual physical measurements.

Prior to the refurbishment of their HQ, York House, British Land appointed the Monomoy Company to carry out environmental monitoring and an occupant perception study. Desktop sensors were used to monitor temperature levels, noise, pressure, humidity, and VOCs, which were combined with staff surveys and analysis of organisational metrics (e.g. absenteeism, staff turnover) so as to establish baseline wellbeing and productivity data. (Source: British Land, July 2015, Creating a Place People Prefer, York House)

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