INDUSTRY VIEWFINDER 23
INDUSTRY VIEWFINDER
Design Certifi cation for Commercial Client ESG & Zero Carbon Strategies
Introduction
For a wide range of commercial sector clients, ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) aims are central to driving forward sustainability in their building projects, and particularly in workplace new builds and refurbishments.
The need to exercise due diligence on sustainability reporting and data, including on the ESG aims around building sustainability for users and the building’s performance, is becoming increasingly acute. More and more fi rms are required to produce certifi ed workplace designs for new builds and refurbishments, to attract eco-savvy staff and guard against accusations of greenwash. Now forming part of clients’ fi nancial reporting, such certifi cations are fi rmly on the radar of often internationally-based and sustainability- cognisant investors.
In this new transparency and credibility-focused environment, the veracity of certifi cations used for buildings in the commercial sector is increasingly in focus. But there are other, more people-based business drivers for ESG too. With the changes in working patterns post-pandemic, there is a question mark over the future of urban commercial environments. As a result, designing spaces which promote employee wellness and other ethical approaches such as sustainability within the ESG context is now in the spotlight, to help clients bring staff back to workplaces and other commercial settings. We surveyed architects to discover their views on the factors and methods which are helping to drive clients’ attitudes (and their designs) to promoting wellness and sustainability in the commercial sector, with a focus on workplace design. This white paper
presents the results, and includes discussion of the wider trends, to collectively offer an evidence-based perspective on this important and growing area of the architecture and design industry. Companies are also required to demonstrate to their owners and shareholders that the sustainability measures they are pursuing in building projects from new builds to refurbishment, are credible, and fully measurable. The umbrella for this new focus on credible sustainability is the rise of ESG, as an internationally accepted corporate framework for driving a series of sustainability initiatives, both within and beyond the built environment itself. This is where designers and environmental consultants come
in, able to offer robust measurement approaches to bolster their design offerings, and some who may be solely responsible for the
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ADF FEBRUARY 2025
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
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