Sustainable design practices: A winning strategy for companies and employees

Name: JJ Falk Firm: JJFD, Interiors ~ Architecture Title: Managing and Design Principal Years with Company: 13 Years in Field: 30 Years in Real Estate: 30 Address: 315 Fifth Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10016 Telephone: 212.685.1913 Email: [email protected] URL: www.jjfalk.com How has the need to create a more sustainable environment influenced the way you do business? In 1973, economist E.F. Schumacher published a group of essays entitled, Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered. Two aspects of that book-the appreciation of human needs and that the modern economy was environmentally unsustainable-became the early foundation of the sustainable design movement. Since its founding in 1998, JJFD has specialized in a humanistic design approach responsive to the work environment's effect on people combined with creative, cost-efficient design solutions that provide measurable return on investment for our clients. JJFD's focus is in sync with the sustainable design principles of reducing environment impact and better relating people to the natural environment. But, with the need of corporate end users to watch every penny, our planning and design extend to producing bottom line benefits. A facility's design/build, furniture, finishes and work tools, as well as ongoing output for upgrades, cleaning, repair and maintenance, are all fixed costs. Thus, the only source of revenue generation in an office facility is a change in variable costs, primarily its workforce. A growing body of evidence confirms that well-designed spaces improve the connection between people and the natural environment through the built environment resulting in increased well-being, better health, reduced absenteeism and turnover, greater concentration, focus, energy and, ultimately, productivity. As one example, JJFD recently completed a major project for Samsung Networks America, its first in-bound call center in the U.S. The facility houses support functions, a data center and, most of all, Samsung personnel on the front lines of customer service, one of the top ten most stressful jobs in the country. A key goal of JJFD's design was to reduce stress and turnover by increasing employee well-being. The sustainable design included locally sourcing finishes and furniture, using Greenguard certified products and maximizing views and daylight. Given the estimated $18,000 per employee cost per turnover, which can be reach 50% annually at call centers, a 10% decrease in turnover through humanistic design can reduce a client's annual costs by $540,000 and even a small increase in productivity can serve as a significant profit center. At JJFD, we are committed to progressive sustainable design solutions for the workplace that attest to the value of dynamic design as a superior strategic tool. JJ Falk is the managing and design principal at JJFD, Interiors ~ Architecture, New York, N.Y.