Sustainability in the workspace

Sustainable office design by K2 Space

Sustainability Mission

Buildings are a major contributor to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 40% of energy use and 33% of emissions. To address the challenges of climate change, it is crucial to design and construct new buildings in a sustainable and energy-efficient manner. This involves using materials with a low environmental impact, incorporating renewable energy sources, and designing the building to maximise energy efficiency.

In addition to their positive impact on the environment, green buildings can also benefit employees, businesses, and investors. For employees, green buildings can provide a healthier and more comfortable work environment, which can lead to improved well-being and productivity. For businesses, sustainable buildings can lead to cost savings on energy and resources, as well as improve the company’s reputation and attract top talent. Investors can also benefit from green buildings, as they may be more attractive to tenants and have a higher resale value. Overall, incorporating sustainability into the design and construction of new buildings can have numerous benefits for all stakeholders.

Waste

It’s imperative on both furniture and build projects that waste is minimised. Our first action is an attempt to re-use whatever we can on each new design, layout, refurbishment or relocation project. Any surplus furniture is either re-homed or sold as part of that process by ourselves or our clients. Furniture or build fabric is then broken down into parts that can be recycled. All our sites have material-separated waste bins to make that process easier for our waste provider.

Sustainable office design for Bericote by K2 Space

Finalists for the Sustainable Design Awards 2024

Reduce

Reducing both transport and waste is No. 1 on our schedule. Identifying components or products that can be recycled in any way possible reduces cost, waste and lead times. We always encourage clients to store furniture for re-use in the future whether it’s growth or expansion into additional space. Clients then have products that can be used instantly, in turn reducing shipping of new products from around the world and lowering their carbon footprint.

K2 Space Criteo

Coupled with reduction, reuse is fundamental to achieving a sustainable workplace. Encouragement and leadership through clever design, together with client buy-in is paramount in the re-use process. Our first course of action involves reaching out to charities, followed by engaging the broader community, particularly when it comes to repurposing furniture and salvaged materials.

Items of furniture reused

1,000+

It was a pleasure working with the K2 team again. This was a complex project and timeframes were tight – once again we are truly delighted with our inspirational new office and look forward to continuing our relationship into the future

Natalie Barone

COO, DTRE

Recycle

Inevitably, our design and build team, along with our furniture division, generates waste. This is an unavoidable result of needing to safeguard goods during transit and to prevent damage to newly installed products. Despite this, we strive to not only minimise waste but also to ensure that whatever is recyclable gets processed appropriately.

In fact, we segregate all waste, breaking it down to its core components such as non-recyclable materials, wood, cardboard, metal, glass, stone, plastic, etc. These materials are then dispatched to a local recycling business for processing, or sent to larger specialised recycling facilities across the country in order to re-manufacture them into new products. In this way, we ensure waste is converted back into new, usable products.

Recovery

In essence, waste that isn’t suitable for recycling is primarily channelled towards waste-to-energy facilities, where it is transformed into a source of energy.

Cadbury Cafe Area

Disposal

By employing this method for handling disposal needs, we strive to reach a goal of zero waste going to landfill. Nevertheless, we remain pragmatic, recognising the near impossibility of fully guaranteeing this due to the varying types of waste produced and the fact that not all materials can be recycled or burned.

Every year, our waste management provider supplies us with reports specifying the destinations of waste and detailing what has been recycled. This practice is in line with the guidance provided by DEFRA and The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations of 2011.

Sustainability FAQs

Sustainability Resources and Further Reading

We love working with clients to design and build amazing new workspaces.