Investing in health and comfort: what are the benefits?

The Dutch Green Building Council recently published the report 'Health, Wellbeing & Productivity in Offices'. It is the Dutch version of the earlier publication 'Health, Wellbeing & Productivity in Offices' of the World Green Building Council, on the impact of healthy buildings on the well-being, productivity and health of building users. There is no doubt that more and more attention is being paid to health and comfort in buildings. This is also demonstrated by growing awareness of the WELL standard. But what are the actual benefits of investing in health and comfort for you as a real estate owner? Is it really worth investing in this?

The answer to that question is actually very simple: the more attractive your building is for tenants, the more rent you can ask for and the less chance you have of vacancy. Buyers and users are increasingly paying attention to health, well-being and productivity aspects when assessing a building. And health, well-being and productivity assessment frameworks will be playing a role in vacancy and valuations.

A building that retains its value

Offering a healthy and productive place to work is increasingly important in this respect, because in the Netherlands and abroad we are becoming increasingly aware of the negative impact that a building can have on our health. A poor indoor climate leads to an uncomfortable feeling and loss of productivity, and your building will eventually become unattractive for tenants, with less rental income and vacancy as a result.

Clear business case

The business case for investing in a healthy office environment becomes even clearer when we realise that your tenants' staffing costs make up the bulk of their business costs. Much more than the premises and energy costs. The profitability of a business depends on the productivity of its employees. As we are working more and more indoors, climate factors such as temperature and humidity are becoming increasingly important.

Distinctiveness

Another important aspect: now you can also take the lead in this area. From the point of view of climate engineering, existing buildings are pretty bad. For example, research shows that 4 out of 10 employees are not satisfied with their current workplace. This is due to various factors, such as poor air quality, inadequate lighting, incorrect temperatures and poor overall comfort.

In short: if you can prove that your building is healthy and comfortable, you have quite an argument to put to your tenants as to why your building is a good choice.

Want to know more about concrete solutions?

Would you like to read more about this and know more about concrete solutions that are available in the market to score better on health and comfort? Download our white paper on this subject (including examples from practice).