Green Office Research Articles

Influential factors to occupy green residential building among green building occupants

Green building has been proven having higher occupancy rate than conventional building. The occupancy rate of ENERGY STAR and LEED-certified green office building are 8% to 18% higher than conventional office building. Previous research has proved that occupants prefer to occupy green office building due to various green benefits. However, most of these researches were conducted on green office building. Therefore, this study is motivated to identify the influential factors for occupants to occupy green residential building. The aim of this study is to evaluate factors that influence occupants to occupy green certified residential building. 75 questionnaires were distributed among occupants of green certified residential building namely Molek Pine 4 and Ponderosa Lakeside Apartment in Johor Bahru. The results were analysed using frequency analysis. Location and good environment quality are the most significant factors that influence occupants to occupy the green certified residential building in Johor Bahru. This research is noteworthy for property industry players especially property developer in guiding the direction of green residential building development in accordance with occupants’ and market preferences.

The Relationship of Green Office Buildings to Occupant Productivity and Organizational Performance: A Literature Review

The purpose of this paper is to identify and critically evaluate previous research that examines the link between green office buildings and the productivity of commercial building occupants. The overarching approach is to highlight and critique the key findings from a variety of researchers that attempt to find links specifically between indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and individual productivity. This is done to develop a theoretical model that links green building features and initiatives (GBFIs) in office buildings to individual productivity and organizational performance. This paper first provides a background of the emergence of green buildings, specifically with regards to utility costs, which led to changes in design and hence to the indoor environment. The core focus of this study is to provide a literature review of the research that attempts to link GBFIs to productivity. Various studies focus on a single or multiple components of GBFIs within different settings, such as controlled laboratory settings, field studies, or longitudinal studies. Other studies choose to focus on occupant health, comfort, and organizational outcomes in relation to GBFIs. The present study attempts to consolidate this area of research by presenting the studies and their findings thus far to develop a new theoretical model. The proposed model links GBFIs to increased individual productivity and organizational performance which results in increased building value, thus justifying the initial capital expenditure for the implementation of GBFIs.

Adaptability of a temperature and humidity independent control air-conditioning system in green office buildings

In order to reduce the energy consumption and improve the economy of air conditioning system, theoretical analysis and energy consumption simulation are used in this paper to explore the adaptability of temperature and humidity independent control (THIC) air-conditioning system in green office buildings. On the basis of the air moisture content and working hours of staff in green office buildings, China was divided into four humidity-hour zones, and several typical cities were selected in each zone for the same building to carry out the analyses of energy consumption simulation and dynamic recovery period of different THIC air conditioning systems in office buildings. The results indicated that in Urumqi, as the representative city of humidity-hour zone I, green office buildings do not suit THIC system; THIC air conditioning system shows obvious advantages over traditional air conditioning in terms of energy saving and economy, and the energy saving rate of the most suitable THIC air conditioning system in Harbin, Beijing and Haikou, as the representative city of humidity-hour zone Ⅱ, zone Ⅲ and zone Ⅳ, reached 28.04%, 24.64%, and 24.42% respectively. Based on the number of humidity-hour, the most suitable THIC air conditioning systems for typical cities in different zone were raised, and a reference for the use of THIC air conditioning system in green office buildings was provided in this paper.

Economic feasibility of green office building: combining life cycle cost analysis and cost–benefit evaluation

ABSTRACT Construction practitioners have adopted the green building (GB) concept to restore environmental damage caused by the built environment over the last decade. However, there is inconclusive debate regarding GB savings’ potential to recover the cost of construction, maintenance, and renewals. This paper evaluates the feasibility of green-certified office buildings in Indonesia by comparing the life cycle cost and presents the cost–benefit ratio. Data were obtained from primary data and combined with reliable secondary sources for analysis. The result shows that GB requires an additional cost of 9.22% but offers energy and water savings over the building’s life cycle accounted for 58.65%. Research has shown that GB adoption reduces the cost per square metre by 41.74% over the traditional one. The cost–benefit ratio of energy, water, and carbon emissions was 2.35 and thus, justified the increased costs of investment, maintenance, and renewals of GB. This research’s findings can assist policymakers, practitioners, developers, and other interested parties in the construction sector in bringing forward regulatory changes, collaboration initiatives, capital investment, or other decision-making support.

Sustainability practices in Spanish higher education institutions: An overview of status and implementation

Higher education institutions have been steadily progressing towards the integration of sustainable practices in their university system. Consequently, an increasing number of these institutions have recognized their responsibility and are incorporating sustainability into their operations, and practices, following a holistic approach. Despite these efforts in the implementation, there are still many challenges to pursue sustainability. In the Spanish framework, there is a lack of studies that investigate sustainable development in higher education by considering all the dimensions. Especially, the efforts of the Spanish Universities in research have been scarcely analysed in detail. This study analyze how Spanish Public and Private Universities (SUE) are integrating sustainability into their institutions by the following dimensions: Research (based on a search strategy proposed by considering the social, economic and environmental perspective); Internationalization (participation in GreenMetrics ranking and European Framework projects), University Governance (Strategic Plans); Assessment and Reporting (Sustainability Plans) and Campus Operations (Green offices).The findings reveal that some institutions present a higher production of scientific activity on the topic (e.g. UAB), while others with less production are more specialized (e.g. UA). The commitment of the universities has increased over time but it varies greatly among different kind of universities, especially in favour of the public institutions. By analyzing the correlation between sustainability practice, it was found that there are high association between some of the variables i.e. sustainability plan and having a green office. However, this study clearly demonstrates that although SD is recognized as being very important to HEIs and society, it is not yet embedded in the whole system’s strategies, activities, and policies.

Comparative analysis of indoor air quality in green office buildings of varying star levels based on the grey method

To reduce energy consumption, green office buildings have been proposed and promoted as a popular trend. In office buildings, perfect indoor air quality can improve work efficiency, while protecting the health of office staff. However, few investigations of the indoor air quality of green office buildings have been reported. In this study, green buildings with one-to three-star ratings, as well as ordinary buildings, were selected to conduct a field survey using air quality measurements. The results indicated that the three types of star buildings had superior air quality, as the carbon dioxide and particulate matter concentrations in green buildings were lower than those in ordinary buildings. However, the total volatile organic compounds concentration in green buildings was higher than that in ordinary buildings. The air quality levels of different types of buildings were evaluated based on the grey method. Consequently, the indoor air quality of the three-star buildings was reported to be excellent.

A Study on Determinant Factors of Introducing a Green Office Environment in Sri Lankan Audit Firms

Purpose: This study aims to identify the factors affecting the establishment of a green office environment in Sri Lankan audit firms. It examines how occupiers (management) perceive the existing workplace environment and subsequently factors contributing towards developing a green workplace environment.Design/ methodology/ approach: The data set was derived from a survey of 84 audit firms which were located in the Colombo district. The collected data were analyzed by using different statistical techniques.Findings: It was found that the currently existing workplace environment in Sri Lankan audit firms was not much interested in applying the green concept. The findings of the study suggest that occupants’ awareness, stakeholder pressure, environmental proactivity are factors affecting the establishment of a green office environment. However, it was found that health benefits have no significant impact on the establishment of a green office environment.Practical implications: Since audit firms are working in a traditional working environment, the auditors can rethink applying the green concept.Originality/ value: Factors affecting the application of the green concept in audit firms are a contribution to the literature. Moreover, the focus is on the Sri Lankan context.

ЗЕЛЕНИЙ БАНКІНГ В УМОВАХ ДІДЖИТАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The article considers environmentally responsible green banking activity as a direction of sustainable development of the banking sector in the context of digitalization of the Ukrainian economy. The article reveals the content of the concept of green banking and sustainable development, defines the features of implementing sustainable development strategies in banking institutions. In particular, the main Green Environmental Services implemented by commercial banks in Ukraine are considered. Four stages on the way to the sustainability of financial activities of banking institutions have been identified. Four stages on the way to ensuring the sustainability of financial activities of banking institutions have been identified. The first stage is the protective phase of basic environmental risk management, when broader sustainability issues are ignored. The second is the reactive phase, where more systematic management of environmental and social risk is carried out. The third more active or offensive phase, in which strategic environmental and social risk management is carried out and even. The Ultimate banking sustainability phase, where the triple approach (people, planet and prosperity) is integrated into the bank’s core business strategy and is no longer limited to risk avoidance, but is now seen as a potential part of every type of financial risk management and decisionmaking processes. To determine the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, a SWOT analysis of the introduction of green banking in banking institutions of Ukraine in the context of digitalization was conducted. Three main components of the green banking strategy in Ukrainian banking institutions have been identified. These include: managing environmental risks, creating a so-called Green Office, developing and promoting environmentally friendly services and products through digitalization of the economy. A detailed review of Green Environmental Services, which can be implementation for the transition to environmental friendliness in the banking sector. The role of the banking sector in the development of green banking in the context of digitalization is determined. It is proved that green banking in this financial world is a new development and an active way to achieve sustainability in the future. Banks in Ukraine are quite far behind their counterparts in the developed economy. But banks that try to clarify the green color and use green financing tools in their activities have chances.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Green Building Codes in United Arab Emirates Based on a Case Study Office Building

Green building regulations in the United Arab Emirates are required to obtain building permits so that future construction projects can create a sustainable living environment. Emirates such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah have specific green building regulations, whereas other emirates follow Abu Dhabi’s regulatory criteria. Previous work fails to present a techno-economic cross-code analysis for various green building regulations in the UAE by evaluating energy and water performance. A case study using an existing high-rise green office building was formulated using the Integrated Environmental Solution: Virtual Environment (IES-VE) platform and the U.S. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (U.S. LEED) water consumption evaluation tool to study its energy and water performance, respectively. The archived results were used to devise an economic study based on the discounted cash flow technique. The principal findings of this research allowed us to determine a cross-code analysis and propose cost-effective trade-offs. These will aid the consultants and contractors in choosing appropriate green building regulations in the UAE by highlighting the potential of each parameter within green building regulations in terms of energy, water, and economic performance.

Greenbacks, Green Banks, and Greenwashing via LEED: Assessing Banks' Performance in Sustainable Construction

A number of large banks have widely publicized their construction of green office buildings. While green building is a worthy endeavor, regardless of the banks' rationale for touting their involvem...

Indoor environment quality and work performance in \u201cgreen\u201d office buildings in the Middle East

Globally, a primary concern is whether green office buildings perform as promised in terms of providing better indoor environment quality (IEQ) for employees, which may affect their satisfaction and work performance. In the Middle East, although there has been renewed interest in green building design, post occupancy evaluation of performance has never been conducted to-date, and evidence of actual occupant perception in green and non-green buildings is still ambiguous. Hence, we present the first study on IEQ performance in the Middle East. We show that Jordan can be taken as a representative example and systematically compare five “green” office buildings (representing 71% of all green-certified office buildings) against eight comparable conventional office buildings (CBs). Detailed bi-lingual survey data on perceived IEQ (n = 502) and work performance are accompanied by high-resolution continuous physical measurements of air temperature + relative humidity (n = 83) and CO2 concentrations (n = 21) with periodic measurements of mean radiant temperature and air speed, covering two typical summers and one typical winter. Results show both buildings types comply with design standards for indoor CO2 levels, while thermal comfort in green buildings is better than in CBs. However, CBs have a higher overall occupant satisfaction of IEQ. Work performance measured as absolute and relative absenteeism was slightly higher in CBs, with no significant differences in relative and absolute presenteeism between the two buildings types. These findings challenge the notion that green buildings improve occupant satisfaction and work performance over CBs and suggest the need for a better understanding of the performance-satisfaction gap.

Indoor environmental quality and energy use evaluation of a three-star green office building in China with field study

In order to get more comprehensive operation performance on indoor environment quality (IEQ) and energy consumption, a long-time measurement and a field occupants’ satisfaction survey on IEQ performance of the first three-star-operation-certified green office building in Ningbo city of China have been conducted, and environmental energy efficiency (EEE) also has been analyzed. Moreover, IEQ and energy consumption of the green case office building are compared with other green office example buildings of the same climate zone in other literatures. The results show that the actual indoor thermal environment of the green case office building isn’t quite achieving the design goals with the Chinese standard of thermal comfort level II (GB 50736). Although indoor air quality of CO2 concentration and visual environment are consistent with the design goals, the indoor relative humidity doesn’t reach the design goal in most of the year. The questionnaire survey results illustrate that the green case building has a high occupants’ satisfaction on IEQ. The comparison results show that there is no obvious difference in indoor temperature and visual environment between the green case building and the green office example buildings in other studies. The results of occupant’s satisfaction and CO2 concentration of the green case building are better than in other studies. However, the indoor relative humidity of the green case building in every season is much higher than in other researches. Energy use intensity (EUI) of the green case building is about 56.5 kWh/m2·a, which is much lower than the constraint value of the Chinese standard. The actual performance of the green case building is also evaluated by the indicator of EEE. The results of this article can provide useful reference for green building operational performance promotion and feedback for design phase optimization.

Impacts of Green Office Projects in Thailand: An Evaluation Consistent with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This study aims to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social impacts of a green office project in Thailand, that is consistent with sustainable development goals (SDGs), to analyze and present the result of the study of the environmental, economic, and social impact of green office, and to evaluate satisfaction in the green office project operation. Evaluated the operating steps of green office projects, using new green office evaluation criteria, under Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP), by collecting preliminary data through questionnaires from 73 agencies, by monitoring and analyzing the project operation of participating organizations to certify as green office standard during 2015 to 2017. Besides, qualitative data were collected through the in-depth interview from 25 representative agencies, selected on the criteria of readiness to provide information and to evaluate their satisfaction in the green office project’s operation. The value of the green office project was 299 million Baht for all participant organizations equal to 1.4 million Baht/office/year. And this could be divided into economic compensation, (262.5 million Baht), social compensation (28.5 million Baht), and environmental compensation (7.55 million Baht). Evaluation of satisfaction found that most agencies (79.45%) have high satisfaction to certification on the evaluation result of national auditors, benefit on staffs’ knowledge, understanding, and observation of the importance of green office operation (86.63%), and the advantage of green office operation in their office (90.41%). The study further suggests that green office projects should be supported as a national policy to all agencies for continuous enhancement or development of the standard, to be an international level according to sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Initial cost forecasting model of mid-rise green office buildings

ABSTRACT Green building has witnessed significant growth in the North American market in recent years. Since the construction cost of green office buildings represents a significant impact on the life cycle costs in office buildings in North America, and since green building costs are still not well understood by building owners, a linear regression model is developed in this study to enable office building owners to predict the initial cost based on the structural and envelope materials used. A multi-regression model is then developed to forecast the initial construction cost based on the use of different combinations of materials, such as concrete and steel, for the envelope and structural systems. This model estimates the cost per square foot of mid-rise office buildings according to specified predictor parameters such as building structural system, number of floors, total floor area, and floor height. The process followed modal development consists of three main phases: preliminary quality diagnostics of gathered data, model development, and model testing and validation. This model can assist office building owners in estimating the initial cost of new buildings using green structural and envelope systems, and to provide decision support in the selection among alternatives from the economic point of view.

Closing the building energy performance gap through component level analysis and stakeholder collaborations

Despite the endorsement of green building regulations and the incorporation of energy-efficient technologies, commercial buildings often fail to achieve the desired energy conservation goals, instead consume as much as 3 times of the predicted energy consumptions, representing a significant building energy performance gap. This study aims to develop a pathway and stakeholder-engaged methodological framework to close the building energy performance gap (EPG) through an in-depth case study of a state-of-the-art green office building. The selected case study is a 14-storey office building with spaces predominantly occupied by public and private companies. The required data were collected from building design documents, energy monitoring reports, building energy simulation models, building management system, stakeholder meeting minutes and records and discussions with the building’s key stakeholders. The collected data were analyzed by using content analysis and statistical analysis methods. The results and findings demonstrated the importance of analysis and comparison of energy consumption at building service systems’ component level rather than comparing the overall energy consumption to determine the level of EPG and unfold the details. Based on the results and findings, it is discovered that even when the overall EPG was close to zero, energy consumptions were significantly higher than the predictions for some components and significantly lower for others. The identified causes of EPG include inefficient control strategies of components, human manual overriding of automatic control operations, inaccurate prediction of after-hour demand and operations, as well as inaccurate modeling of cold and hot weather conditions in winter and summer respectively. An EPG-closing framework, which brings all key energy stakeholders (environmentally sustainable design team, main contractor, facility manager, mechanical service contractor, electrical service contractor, BMS service contractor and independent commissioning agent) together to work collectively to close the EPG was proposed. It is crucial to ensure that there are 1) motivations for involvement and participation of all stakeholders, 2) consistent naming of building service components in the prediction model and BMS system, 3) regular update of prediction models and 4) seamless knowledge transfer between stakeholders to effectively implement the framework. The outcome of this research provides the practitioners with knowledge and confidence to close EPG in their projects. The methods and processes developed and applied in this study provides useful reference to future studies.

Research on Indoor Environmental Performance of Green Office Buildings in Shanghai Based on Field Investigation

In order to understand the indoor environmental performance of green buildings after operation, 12 green buildings in Shanghai were selected to carry out long-term continuous monitoring and field collection study, data was comparative analysed with relevant national standards. Results show that the indoor environmental compliance rate of the building is more than 75%, and the comfort zone of the temperature and humidity are wider than the standard. The compliance rate of the light environment is generally good. At the same time, similar research results of other cities in China were compared, and the causes of the results were analysed. Finally, based on the measured data, the optimized standard limits of some parameters were proposed.

The Identification of Risk Factors of Quality that Affecting Contractors’ Performance at XYZ Company

In the implementation of construction projects often present several problems, both are technical and non-technical. Risk management is an activity carried out to minimize the risks that might occur in the project. Construction in the Green Office Park district owned by PT. XYZ gives trust to one of the leading contractors in Indonesia and assisted by other specialist contractors. Green Office Park was recognized for incorporating advanced green architectures to conserve energy, water and natural resources. This district is located on a land area of 25 Ha and there are 6 office buildings and a lifestyle mall with beautiful and unique concepts that have Green features, like Microclimate Optimization, Green Transport and Integrated Parking, and Sustainable Management Practice. During the construction of several buildings in this district, they often experience various obstacles and more or less have similar problems in every development in this district. The purpose of this study is to identify the risk factors of quality of the contractors’ work in the PT. XYZ. This study was examined based on various literature sources, namely: project life cycle, construction phase, risk management, quality management, the parties involved in the construction process, project performance, and various relevant research results. The research methodology is carried out by stages: discussing the problems that occur in the field, identifying research problems, preparing research instruments, analysing research problems and discussing the results of the research obtained. Through this research, resulted identification of risk factors of quality that affecting contractors’ performance at the XYZ company.

The impact of building location on green certification price premiums: Evidence from three European countries

Green building certification has gained global prominence in the wake of the recent calls for ensuring the sustainable development of expanding urban areas. This trend rooted in the fact that buildings are among the main sources of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Green certification therefore emerged in response to sustainability concerns throughout the building sector. Nonetheless, the significant costs required by green investments have elicited scholars’ attention, in an attempt to determine if the benefits of green certification outweigh its costs. This study uses a proprietary data-set of office building transactions from three major European countries - Finland, France, and Germany - in order to analyze the price premium of green certification over the 2010–2015 period. Considering the increasing demand for certification in the European Union (EU) after 2010, it is expected that green office buildings would sell at higher prices relative to non-green buildings. Empirical tests suggest that office buildings with green certification have a 19 percent higher price relative to non-certified buildings. Further, the study aims to assess whether the premium varies with the location of the green buildings within the urban area. Given the price premium brought by a central location - irrespective of green certification - it is expected that the price premium of green investments would incrementally increase in non-central locations. The distance variable is hand-constructed based on geocoding all properties in the dataset - empirical results indicate that the green certification price premium incrementally increases by 10.5 percent for 1-km distance from the city center. Further tests show that the distance effect becomes insignificant in both (i) large cities and (ii) cities of under 200,000 inhabitants. In these two contingencies, the price premium associated with central locations is reduced - which also diminishes the relevance of the green buildings’ location. The empirical results are robust to eliminating 2010 and 2011 from the sample and to employing a propensity score matching approach, aimed at increasing the similarity of the treatment and control groups. This paper adds to the rising literature on the topic of green buildings, as it is the first international study to assess the price impact of green certification as a function of office building location.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF ENTERPRISES

The article explores global trends in the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR), with particular emphasis on its environmental dimension. The basic stages (assessment of own environmental intervention of the enterprise, minimization (compensation) of own environmental intervention of the enterprise, educational and promotional activities for clients (consumers), activities for environmental protection, implementation of ideas of environmental aspects of CSR for colleagues and partners) are analyzed and the algorithm of introduction of environmental component in the program of CSR implementation at the enterprise is proposed. Measures based on the Green Office principles have been developed to improve the environmental policy of the enterprise and reduce its environmental impact. The use of non-financial reporting and Ideal Office-Second-House measures at the enterprise will promote transparency and completeness of disclosure of information about the environmental performance of the enterprise, accelerate reporting to government bodies, improve the working conditions of employees, icrease the efficiency of workers and reduce number of mistakes when calculating financial indicators, therefore reducing fines, supplementing economic, social and environmental indicators of non-financial reporting, and understanding the indicators of environmental reports by shareholders, enterprises, contractors, potential investors and other stakeholders. The result of the study is to improve the corporate social responsibility program of the enterprise. Pilot projects were proposed for the enterprise by the areas of responsibility and by stakeholders groups whose interests were met. The main directions of CSR program development (combination of two directions: internal environmental and external philanthropic) were chosen, concrete measures were developed, the effect of their implementation was determined.

Study of the Nebulosity Influence in Photovoltaic System Installed in the Green Office of UTFPR

Study of the Nebulosity Influence in Photovoltaic System Installed in the Green Office of UTFPR