24 January 2011
Capita Symonds has unveiled designs for a revolutionary ‘Cool
Workspace’ installation for Ecobuild
2011- the world’s biggest event for
sustainable design, construction and the built environment - which
will provide a unique insight into the sustainable office of the
future.
The 10m x 15m structure has been designed to
showcase how companies can reduce energy by up to 50% through the
use of the latest sustainable technologies, increase productivity,
and take advantage of the latest innovative commercial models for
funding.
The space will be split into two zones. One
will comprise a more traditional office-based environment while the
other will highlight a space for home working, reflecting the trend
towards spaces that are multi-functional, enabling the user to work
and live in the same place.
The provision of coffee points, touchdown
space (including computer), seating, a table football game, and
even exercise bikes, will also give visitors the opportunity to
experience and interact with these new workspaces.
Capita Symonds has adopted a holistic approach
to the creation of ‘Cool Workspace’ that covers three core
areas:
1) Technology and
Sustainability
- Phase Change
Materials – These products help to keep offices cooler
without using air conditioning by absorbing heat – leaving the
rooms naturally cooler. This is achieved by special wax-like
capsules that are embedded into the wall/ceiling tile which melt in
the heat (taking heat out of the room) before solidifying in cooler
night time conditions to ‘recharge’ for the next day.
- Building Integrated
Photovoltaics – Photovoltaic glass has been used in a
novel way to highlight the potential to tap into the energy
contained in every building façade, using it to generate
power.
- Smart Metering and
Management – Technologies have been installed which detect
building occupation and use the information to create an internal
environment to suit the number of occupants. They also provide
real-time feedback, giving control to end-users or the
building/office manager.
- Materials – The space has
been constructed using a variety of sustainable materials. For
example, the perimeter is made out of cardboard pipes and the
display furniture is borrowed.
- Information - Visitors can
find out more about the technologies used by scanning the QR codes
located in the workspace with their smartphones or accessing the
installation’s website at http://www.capitasymonds.co.uk/
2) Behavioural Change
Changing user behaviour is critical to
ensuring that the workspace performs as expected and that targets
for resource and carbon reduction are achieved. The installation
encourages such behavioural change in a number of ways by engaging
and challenging the visitors’ perception of what is an office space
and how it is used.
Visitors will even experience how their
behaviour impacts the space around them in real time by testing
their own ability to create green energy on the ‘Energy Creating
Exercise Bike’. The bike powers the installation’s ‘Brain Cloud’
which changes colour to reflect the amount of energy generated by
the cyclist.
3) Commercial Models
The benefits of adopting this type of
workspace are varied, from cost savings related to a reduction in
resource usage and the meeting of carbon targets, to an improvement
in the quality of the working environment for employees and
increased productivity.
Capita Symonds uses these benefits to
establish an innovative ‘pay as you save’ model for commercial real
estate that enables us to arrange full funding for the upfront cost
of consultancy and implementation of ‘Cool Workspace’ and then
sharing in the savings achieved. In this way the company can unlock
opportunities for clients who do not have ready access to capital
for investment.
About Capita Symonds
Working with strategic partners in both
industry and academia, Capita Symonds continues to push forward the
boundaries of sustainable design. By engaging with our clients and
understanding their key business drivers, we are able to create
innovative design solutions that can unlock the potential of any
workspace.
Our multidisciplinary research and development
programme provides clients with a completely integrated design
approach. We have developed an in-house specialist software
database that appraises technical measures for energy, carbon and
economic viability. This informs our decision making process in
selecting appropriate design measures that enable businesses to
achieve their sustainability aims - be they in support of company
values or a reaction to government targets such as the Carbon
Reduction Commitment.
Capita Symonds’ role supporting the Technology
Strategy Board with Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform as a
member of the Carbon Trusts Strategic Consultancy Framework,
combined with our #1 status on the Carbon Disclosure leadership
index for our sector, also ensures that we are at the forefront of
the sustainability debate as well as having access to the latest
emerging sustainable technologies.
Ecobuild – www.ecobuild.co.uk–
takes place from Tuesday 1st March to Thursday
3rd March at ExCeL, London. Capita Symonds’ ‘Cool
Workspace’ installation is situated at S240, entrance
S1.