22 November 2008
Healthy high-rises
1 September 2006
By Kate Druett: Te Waha Nui Online
Are you at work from dawn til dusk? Are you experiencing breathing problems, headaches and tiredness? It could be related to the building you are working in. Te Waha Nui spots a new trend in healthy living.
 |
|
Photo: Kate Druett
|
Imagine working in a building that kept you healthy.
Fewer toxins would pollute your workspace, breathing would be easier, headaches would be a thing of the past along with sore, strained eyes and dehydrated skin.
Best of all, it would help you work — increasing your productivity and efficiency. Though it might sound like a dream, such buildings are fast becoming a reality here in New Zealand.
“Green buildings” are on the rise worldwide. They are designed to be energy and water efficient, minimise waste, reduce environmental toxins and promote good air quality and ventilation.
Green Building Council chief executive Jane Henley says Meridian Energy, BNZ, NZ Post and Nike are among the corporate giants on board with the scheme. The Ministry for the Environment is also working on a government programme to promote sustainable building growth.
However most office employees are working in buildings that don’t take environmental or health factors into consideration. As a result Henley says they may be suffering from “sick building syndrome”. Symptoms include headaches, sore eyes, dry skin and tiredness.
City worker Kerri Ross has spent years working in malls and office buildings. She experiences dry skin, irritated eyes and frequent dehydration as a result of air-conditioning and poor ventilation. Green buildings are a positive move for employee health and happiness as well as the environment she says.
“You spend a huge chunk of your life at work, it can make you feel like a caged rat. Anything that made it more comfortable and healthier would give us a lot more quality of life.”
Green buildings are all about merging social, economic and environmental benefits, says Henley. While green buildings may initially be 2-6 per cent more expensive than standard buildings, the cost is offset by lower running costs and increased productivity. By being involved with the scheme companies are also “future-proofing their investments” against possibilities such as carbon tax.
“There has to be economic benefits for it to be viable — the added business value is enormous,” she says.
Designing work spaces to encourage optimum employee performance is another factor crucial to the buildings’ success.
Henley says every green building is monitored after its completion. Studies from the United States show companies working from green buildings have a 10 per cent increase in production with decreased employee sick days, reported headaches and ill health.
Building materials are chosen for their environmentally friendly properties and the energy required to source them. Building site selection considers the surrounding environment and most appropriate use of land. Even paint, carpet and furniture are analysed for their effect on health.
Buildings are ranked by the Green Council according to the above factors. Six stars are awarded to a building of optimum environmental and health standards.
