Sustainability

More and more studies are showing that a healthy office, also referred to as “sustainable” or “green office”, affects the mental health of a company’s employees. Investment in sustainable design has shown significant increases in employee’s productivity and decreases in stress.

1755 Blake is on the cutting edge of sustainable design in downtown Denver. We believe that the best investment a company can make is in the health and well being of its employees. That’s why 1755 Blake is committed to providing efficiency and maximized LEEDs points for all systems.

1755 Blake’s Green Features Include:

Focus on sustainable design and maximized workplace comfort
Raised floor access system for air distribution, power and communications cabling
Energy Cost savings from state of the art lighting and HVAC
Floor-to-ceiling glass on north and west sides
Improved air quality and worker comfort
Better energy efficiency
Maximized natural light
“Green Building” Compliance
Maximized LEED points for all systems
Terraces for fresh air and sunlight

1. Workplace Satisfaction and Productivity Corporate profitability and growth are driven more by organizational capabilities (human capital) which is enhanced by workplace satisfaction, which is measured in increased productivity. LEED properties offer features which are key drivers of workplace satisfaction:

Some common LEED elements and impact on worker satisfaction & productivity:

Individual Temperature Control	3.5% increase in productivity
High performance Lighting	6.7% increase in productivity
Natural Light/Window Views	9-12% increase in productivity
Sources: Carnegie Mellon, McGraw Hill

2. Where do the cost savings come from?

HVAC: New buildings have much more efficient HVAC which use less energy for heating and cooling, and operate at on a free cooling cycle (without the chiller) more often than systems in older office buildings. If the building has a raised floor system with an under floor air distribution system, the savings are even greater as there are not traditional overhead ducting and VAV boxes which require significant energy to operate. Also new buildings (especially those with under floor systems) do not have the accumulation of particulates, mold, and other environmental contaminates in the duct work found in older buildings. This affects indoor air quality resulting in more employee downtime due to sickness from airborne contaminants.

Lighting: Most traditional 30 year old buildings have 2x4 fluorescent fixtures which direct 100% of the light down from the fixture with 50 foot-candles. The new direct/indirect lighting systems are designed around a direct/indirect solution which results in a substantially higher quality of light at the work place with only 20 foot-candles. Thus energy costs for lighting in new buildings are lower. In additonal traditional older buildings have higher E glass, with more dark film or reflective quality which inhibits natural light into the space, requiring more lighting. New buildings get LEED points for taking maximum advantage of natural light from large windows and low E glass also resulting in less energy consumption.

Potential Upcoming Savings: The most current Federal budget proposes to collect $80 Billion per year for an eight year period through a cap-and-trade program, for a total of $646 Billion to combat climate change and global warming. This would be a carbon dioxide reduction program which would extend to all segments of the economy including commercial office buildings. Building owners who are under the carbon limits could sell off additional credits to the newly created market, potentially monetarily capitalizing on increased efficiencies. Conversely older, less efficient, buildings will pass higher energy costs (taxes) on to their tenants.