Welcome to 2021. Covid-19 should become more controllable with mass distribution of vaccines, effective treatments, and better population behavior. The new year will also bring a return of home office workers back to shared workplace centers either full or part time. Will they be returning to a healthy facility that supports their wellness?
A lot depends on the conditions of four basic elements. They are light, thermal comfort, sound control, and materials. Optimizing these elements, plays a large part in facility health and wellness.
A healthy office plan exposes 55% of its occupied space to natural light. This impacts office locations and space design. It is especially important in shared workplace centers where spaces exposed to natural light produce higher revenues. Artificial ambient lighting in centers is generally supplied by LED fixtures. They provide a consistent, long lasting, energy efficient level of light for interior spaces and augment naturally lit spaces also. 24/7 exposure to LED lighting, however, can be unhealthy. A healthier alternative to consistent lighting is a circadian system that emulates natural body rhythms from sunrise to sunset. The system may be implemented in three ways. They are intensity tuning relating to temperature, color tuning relating to light intensity, and stimulus tuning relating to wave lengths. Circadian systems can boost alertness and mood and are most important when lighting interior spaces.
Thermal comfort in shared workplace centers is often about discomfort caused by thermostatic settings and poorly designed variable air valve (VAV) systems. However, wellness and thermal comfort actually begin with efficient air exchange and effective filtration. Current commercial air systems have a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 6 to 8. Wellness supportive systems should have values of 13 to 17. Higher MERV’s can be attained by adding high efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filters and fans that can remove as much as 99% of all airborne particles. Bringing air systems up to wellness levels in new construction can be costly and more so when modifying existing structures. As an example: HEPA filtration system costs can range from 35 cents to $1.10 per square foot verses current commercial system costs of 18 to 25 cents per square foot.
Sound control is another common problem in shared workplace centers. This is due to their variety of spaces and functions, variable human densities, and flexibility requirements. Controlling sound begins with the “ABC’s” – a combination of absorption, blockage, and cover sound. Shared workplace center designs should consider ceiling height(s), space densities and partition configurations, construction methods, and sound absorption values of finishes. A well-tuned and balanced sound masking system, based on design considerations, provides sound control. Effective application of the ABC’s results in a healthy wellness-supportive shared workplace environment that supports speech privacy and acoustical comfort. Average cost for sound masking: $1 to $3 per square foot.
Last on our list of important basic center wellness elements is materials – construction and finishes. The most common shared workplace center finish is paint. It may emit volatile organic compounds. Another common material is particle board used in furniture and millwork. It may contain formaldehyde. Various flooring materials may have finishes containing phthalates. These are all toxicants. Drywall faced with paper can support mold. These illustrations show the importance of choosing safe and healthy alternatives with Green Guard certification.
One more thing. Design, construct, and furnish new and existing shared workplace centers with a goal of Wellness Certification.
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