Energy efficiency: how SPIE is making its offices more sustainable
Published on 21 October 2022
Buildings account for 36% of European carbon emissions. SPIE thus considers the design of environmentally sustainable solutions for all customers to be a key responsibility, and it brings this same belief to the design of the company’s own offices.
While SPIE offices serve as a showcase of the company’s design expertise and creativity, they also demonstrate SPIE’s ability to adapt office space to new working trends. According to a recent McKinsey study, 20-25% of the workforce in advanced economies could work from home between three and five days a week. This represents five times more remote work than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
As more and more companies shift to smaller and more flexible workspaces, existing physical spaces must be redesigned or retrofited to take social distancing, new safety concerns and employee well-being into account. The health crisis has also accelerated pre-crisis trends of digitalisation and automation. As buildings and IT systems are becoming increasingly interconnected, the ability for employees to control their surroundings for both comfort and health purposes is more advanced than ever.
The recent design or redesign of SPIE offices are an opportunity to demonstrate to customers the breadth of the company’s capabilities and expertise when it comes to creating flexible, comfortable work environments that are also sustainable. Let’s follow some SPIE guides to see key examples of new office spaces throughout Europe and in Nigeria.
Reducing the carbon footprint of office space
Marc Tort, operation manager for Nigeria & Ghana, SPIE Oil & Gas Services
Sustainable building and renovation of offices is one way SPIE wants to reach its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 25% by 2025. From hybrid solar panel systems to a cutting-edge geothermal storage field, the pioneering technology that SPIE offers customers is on display throughout their offices. “Our solar installation, currently in progress in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, will serve as a real-life showcase to potential customers,” said Marc Tort, Operation Manager for Nigeria & Ghana, SPIE Oil & Gas Services.
Angelique Koeleman, senior management assistant, SPIE Nederland
The sustainability of office space, however, is not always clearly visible. “Our office refurbishment included choosing carpet, office chairs and acoustic screens made of recycled material,” says Angelique Koeleman, Senior Management Assistant at SPIE Nederland. While sustainability is an important part of renovation and building designs, SPIE is also an active participant in building maintenance. Starting in 2024, SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa will be responsible for the technical facilities management of the EUREF campus, which they will also call home. In this climate neutral campus, SPIE will ensure that the sustainable metrics of the building are maintained and improved over time.
Peter Smets, business unit manager, SPIE Belgium
Sustainability must be applied to every layer of the building, and not just on the surface. At SPIE Belgium, Business Unit Manager Peter Smets confirms, “designing our office to be as self-sustaining as possible reflects the environmental and socially responsible way we work for our clients.”
