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An article in last week鈥檚 Evening Standard by Jonathan Prynn trailed a piece of poll research sponsored by British Land that claimed that nearly nine out of 10 London office workers want more control over their work environment to affect aspects such as light and ventilation. The article goes on to say: 鈥淎ccording to respondents, a smart office that responds better to their needs could improve productivity by 37%鈥�, through increased employee loyalty and wellbeing. Thirty-seven percent!

Given that around 75% of all workplace activity in the UK takes place in office environments the implications for this are huge for the UK鈥檚 productivity - and we need to improve because we lag way behind most of our European counterparts in this area.

So does the design and construction industry hold one of the keys to improving the UK鈥檚 global competitiveness? For the past 25 years our industry has grappled with the issue of sustainability with the focus on the impact that design and construction can have on energy consumption and carbon production. The growing proliferation of carbon-free renewable energy sources means we can shift our focus.

There are three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. Social sustainability is, in my view, the most important and for too long has been side-lined

The World Green 好色先生TV Council points out that in terms of the running costs of a typical business, only 1% lies in energy whereas around 90% is reflected in staff costs. So if we shift our attention to improving the impact of the built environment on human resource we can make a much bigger impact on the fortunes of businesses and the economy as a whole.

We can contribute to making people healthier, happier and more productive which in turn reduces the burden on social and healthcare services - ultimately creating a more sustainable society. There are three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. Social sustainability is, in my view, the most important and for too long has been side-lined.

And we don鈥檛 have to take British Land鈥檚 word for it as there鈥檚 a huge body of evidence that tells us that improved environments impact positively on people鈥檚 health (physical and mental), their creativity, and their cognitive powers. The problem is that as an industry we aren鈥檛 joining the dots between these studies and the way in which we design, procure and build. Not yet anyway.

This is why Atkins is currently investing in research to quantify the impact that 鈥渟mart鈥� buildings can have on productivity, what the payback for investment actually looks like, and what this could mean for our economy. It鈥檚 time for us to win the economic argument as well as the emotional one. There is a massive opportunity for our industry to make a real difference to people鈥檚 lives and to the wealth, happiness, and coherence of our society.

Certainly there鈥檚 a cultural shift in people鈥檚 demands from their employers and what they expect from the workplace. It鈥檚 time to give the people what they need.

Philip Watson is design director at Atkins