Corporations are increasingly demanding sustainable office buildings. As younger generations of employees rise through the ranks, they are clamoring for action. The desire to reduce their corporate carbon footprint, the push for offsite construction methods, and a demand for a healthy work environment, both mentally and physically, are driving the movement to create green structures.
What was once a “future” goal has become a virtual requirement for many companies.
In Silicon Valley, Google has built a 1.1-million-square-foot all-electric building that is an example of tomorrow’s office buildings. It is net water positive, meaning all its non-potable water comes from waterreused on-site, and it embraces biophilic building practices with its focus on natural light, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort from newly developed scale-like solar panels and one of the world’s largest geothermalsystems. The building, and all Google campuses, will operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030.
In speaking about the design and intention of Walmart’s new campus in Bentonville, Arkansas, their Executive VP of Corporate Affairs Dan Bartlett has said, “The buildings themselves (will have) solar panels atop parking decks, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems, and regionally sourced building materials, including mass timber construction. We’ve been working for years to be a more sustainable company, and we want our new home to reflect that.”
In many cases, government incentives are offered to push for the completion of green buildings, helpingto offset their costs. Mandatory and voluntary construction codes are in effect throughout the country tovarying degrees, and they are having an impact on the green-focused mindset of corporate campus planning.The International Code Council’s 2012 International Green Construction Code (IgCC), for example, containsmandatory minimum requirements for efficiencies in environmental and health performance. Likewise, LEED is a voluntary series of rating systems builders can follow, meant to increase the environmentaland health performance for the design, construction, and operation of all building types.
Sustainability planning for corporate campuses has become expected now, rather than in the future. The construction industry will have to rise to meet these demands while finding innovative ways and materials to satisfy building regulations.