Sydney Office Update January Leasing Magazine | Page 7

SYDNEY OFFICE UPDATE | 4
“A lot of it is about understanding how
the businesses in our buildings are
supporting the health of their people,
so that in addition to operating our
buildings efficiently and sustainably,
we can contribute to better workplace
health across all of our buildings,
potentially having a much larger, long
term impact.” He said many parts of the system align
with Green Star, an overlap recognized
by GBCA and IWBI’s crosswalk,
that aligns the certification process
for building projects and fit outs,
pursuing both Green Star and WELL
Certification. Other areas of focus at
151 Clarence Street are air quality,
water quality and mental health.
Hugh Irving, Development Manager
of Investa Office Fund’s, Barrack Place
at 151 Clarence Street Sydney, was
selected as a representative for existing
office buildings at the International
WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) Global
Advisory Roundtable in New York, in
June this year. To manage microbes and mould risks in
HVAC, for example, the development
will be installing a UV-light germicidal
irradiation device in mechanical plant, a
technology that can also be retrofitted
to existing plant and buildings.
Investa has been working alongside
the IWBI since it launched its current
WELL tool in Australia, to refine the
tool for application to a portfolio
of existing assets. The aim of the
Roundtable was to progress discussion
on a new certification pathway within
the WELL Building Standard, that takes
advantage of the unique efficiencies
available in a portfolio of existing
buildings. Properties will be rewarded
for applying enhanced operational
and maintenance strategies, as well as
wellness policies and programs
Mr Irving said the challenge for IWBI
and its working group is to develop
a tool that has integrity, but is also
achievable. It can’t be too easy, nor too
challenging.
He said the company’s interest in
WELL arose 18 months ago as it
recognised it had addressed the bigger
problems around building sustainability
in design and construction, and it wa s
now time to think about the people in
the buildings.
The company now seeks to
incorporate the principles of wellness
into all new developments in order
to facilitate base building and tenant
certifications in the future.
A N I M P O R TA N T D R I V E R
FOR DELIVERING WELLNESS
I S T H E H U G E W AV E O F
MILLENNIALS COMING INTO
THE WORKFORCE.
Mr Cook said that some of the things
that have been learned from pursuing
WELL Certification have also changed
the way things are done from a
management perspective.
CHANGING THE BUILDING
FROM A “SPACE” TO A
COMMUNITY
Mr Cook said the program has
emotional and social benefits.
Programs such as meditation classes,
healthy cooking displays and events
build camaraderie in a building, Mr
Cook said.
“It helps tenants get to know each
other and helps transform the
environment from an office building to
an activated community.
This demographic is more “demanding”
in terms of what it expects from
workplaces. Sally Franklin, Group Executive,
Real Estate Services & Business
Operations, said the new program
gives Investa the potential to help
“thousands of people be at their best
inside and outside of work.
According to Michael Cook, one of
the key aspects of working to improve
tenant wellness is about adding value
to the tenant experience. “If this also contributes to boosting
the performance of our tenant’s
businesses, then this is a great
outcome,” Ms Franklin said.
“Rent is a material cost for any business,
so we have to be able to explain why
the building makes sense for more than
just commercial reasons,” he said.
The company is also continuing to learn
more about the relationship between
indoor environment quality and wellbeing
through its ongoing partnership with
University of Sydney’s IEQ lab.
It has placed SAMBA units (Sentient
Ambient Monitoring of Buildings in
Australia) in many of its buildings,
including its own offices, to measure
and provide instant data on features
of a workspace such as light, air, sound
and temperature, which all impact
indoor environment quality which
can influence health, wellness and
productivity.