Many companies ‘talk the walk’ when it comes to being green, but do they really ‘walk the talk’?

Summertown’s Site Supervisor,  Jayaramn Kottary, recently demonstrated a great way to reuse waste material that not only benefits the employees, but saves the company money and increases productivity of staff.   Onsite facilities during a project fit out don’t often lend themselves to creating a comfortable environment for a restful break – especially during the early phases of the project.  Jayaramn and his team created a simple, highly effective seating and dining area on site for staff to enjoy whilst on their break, by recycling some old wooden pallets.  Everyone got to rest their weary limbs for a well deserved rest, and whatsmore it made the afternoon periods much more productive with the team having had a proper break.  The table/seating arrangements were so functional, they were even used for on site meetings during the fit out time.

This initiative has really made a positive impact with the client and site visitors alike, and goes to show how deep rooted Summertown’s core values are throughout the whole organisation. 

Here are some of our top tips that we are implementing, that you can consider for your organisation too:

Reduce Energy Consumption
• Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilise natural light when you can.
• Make it a habit to turn off your computer and appliances when you leave for the day.
• Remove your phone charger from the power point when not in use, as it continues to consume up to 40 percent of the current used to charge your phones.
• During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Remember, screen savers don't save energy.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. They use less energy and last longer, too.
• When buying new appliances, look for Energy Star models.

Reduce & Reuse
• Think before you print
• Make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.
• Keep your own mug and dishware for those meals you eat at the office.
• Bring your own lunch to work in a reusable container to reduce packaging waste.

Recycle
• Buy recycled when possible. Toner cartridges, paper goods, plastics and more are available recycled now.
• Keep a paper recycling tray in addition to your waste bin.
• Do not throw electric appliances in the trash but recycle your old cell phone or PDA

Support Green Companies
• Support vendors who have green policies in place. From your bank to your office supply company to your Interior fit out company. Ask and find out who has good practices and give those companies your business.

Rethink your travel
• Make it a habit to carpool or take the metro or bus when feasible.
• Make it a policy to invest in videoconferencing and other technological solutions that can reduce the amount of employee travel.

Create a healthy office environment
• Make it a habit to use nontoxic cleaning products. And Make it a policy to buy furniture, carpeting, and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)  that do not give off-gas toxic chemicals.
• Write a company green policy. Distribute to employees and customers. Post it on your website, too. Join the environmental or sustainable committee in your workplace. If one does not exist, take the initiative and form a green task force.

Want to learn more about going green?  Register to attend one of our FREE ‘Green in Action’ workshops.

It was recently brought to my attention that companies in Dubai are often unaware of the time scale involved in the interior fit-out of offices, and are in essence, looking for the work to be completed, not today but yesterday.

In order to avoid this situation, it is essential for companies looking to move/re-design their office to be aware of the realistic time scales involved, once that all important call is made.

The timescale involved from an enquiry (contacting the interior fit-out contractor) to start up on site is approximately 8 weeks. These 8 weeks include gathering information for the project brief, site survey, space planning, concept and presentation, preparation of BOQ (Bill of Quantity), preparation of construction and MEP drawings, and approval from the authorities. A further 8-12 weeks should then be added until completion date of the project which includes the lead time for materials and furniture. Therefore, the total timescale from an enquiry until completion date is approximately 20 weeks (5 months).

These timescales are averages of the time involved and are subject to change, however as a general guide, any company who has the intention to move/re-design their office should ensure that they have allowed sufficient time for the process and integrate it into their plans accordingly.

Economic slowdown has been a recurring like the weather and a decade is usually a good indication of the timeframe for this shift.

Designers were having a field day during economic bliss, as both clients and designer could play with ideas, even to the point of being crazy.

This part of the world (UAE) produced a lot of amazing ideas that gave birth to some of the most exiting if not unusual designs and creations on such a massive scale, never before seen or “I have never seen elsewhere”.

But the real challenge in design is now! When resources are scarce and situation murky. Having said that, the world has to move on and business must continue. The need for designing an efficient economical and practical solution is the criteria.

Minimalism is not just a jargon or a fancy word, but a must. And design towards sustainability, efficiency of energy and waste management becomes a reality. not hype but by necessity. Designers have to push the limits of innovative creativity and to provide a practical solution with an aesthetic touch, maximizing all possible solution. Giving clients their every penny’s worth, squeezing creativity from Designers' every pore!

The pole has shifted in favor of the client, but there’s a responsibility or a limit to all this. Designers can only push their back against the wall but not beyond it. Looking back in the 30’s during the great depression, giving birth to to an era of Art Deco. At that time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional, and modern and new age of design was born.

Therefore this goes without saying that this is just another phase in our history books, another era and perhaps a new style?

How do we grow, how do we attain superior performance, and how can we go from good to excellent? What makes truly exceptional people and companies and what can we do to make a difference?

Ask yourself; what do you believe in, what is important to you and what are those values on which you would never compromise. The idea is not to create or set core values but to look deep within, by looking inside your organization, your department, or yourself and discover the core values that are already there. Identify what you stand for. Once you have identified your core values you must protect those core values. Anything that does not comply with those core values must be ejected like a virus as if it were a disease. In everything you do you need to remind yourself of the crucial distinction between core and noncore, between what should never change and what should be open for change, between what is truly important and what is not. In order to operate at our best when doing business or dealing with others we should never abandon our core values. This may at times be very difficult and almost seem impossible. It may make us move more slowly but we should only grow as fast as we can find people who will uphold our standards and deal with challenges in such a way that we never abandon our principles. Never compromise on your standards for the sake of expediency, opportunity, or financial gain.

Secondly, ask yourself; what is your organization’s, department’s, or your personal core purpose, your fundamental reason for being? Please do not confuse it with goals and strategies or with products and services offered by the organization or your self. Purpose gets at the deeper reason for a company’s or your existence beyond just trying to make money. Money is important for an organization’s and your own existence but it is not the reason for our being. Examples of purpose are; a psychologist’s purpose could be to help mentally challenged people reach their full potential or for Walt Disney it simply is to make people happy. Another example of purpose may be the pursuit of excellence. We do not want to create or set our purpose, we need to find it by looking inside, it must already be there somewhere at the gut level. Why is purpose so important? A purpose can never be fully realized as in the pursuit of excellence there is no finish line, as quoted by Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai. When focusing on a purpose there will be continuous change and improvement. When implemented properly it can guide and inspire yourself and an organization in the short, medium, and long term. “What is your purpose” may be difficult to define, however, it requires a “simple” answer in one or two sentences.

And last but not least there must be an envisioned future, a big audacious goal to achieve. You must commit to a risky and challenging goal in order to stimulate progress.

Evidence from research has shown that those who make a lasting contribution and give meaning to their life are more happy and make more money over the long run.

If you are a CEO, manager, or entrepreneur and wish to read more on the subject of core ideology I would recommend the bestselling author Jim Collins.

Ready made furniture is designed, engineered and manufactured to the highest standards by in-house or sometimes external designers from well known furniture manufacturers from all over the world. These designers get the support of a designated team to take their design from design stage to final product.

Of course there are many advantages of using in-house resources: they have available tools, such as factories and staff, to manufacture a long lasting product which will also be available in their portfolio for the future. The end product meets, and in most cases exceeds all relevant test criteria for strength, stability, environmental friendliness and ergonomics, ensuring fitness for purpose.

With ready made furniture, you will receive a warranty period of 1 or 2 years on some of the parts. However, they state very clearly, that their standard warranty on seating products is conditional upon the seating being used in a normal office environment and subjected to normal usage of, on average, 40 hours per week. But, you can always order extra spare parts to maintain the products to their best. There are some Dutch furniture manufactures which have been using the same superior products for over 30 years, with some minor spare part changes, they can even last that long!

For example Ahrend has proven this with their Mehes collection, which was used by Fosters & Partners for the HSBC Headquarters in Hong Kong in 1984 (the furniture is still been used today). In the year 2002, Fosters & Partners have again used the Ahrend Mehes collection to refurbish the HSBC Headquarters in London.
This means, if you ever plan to expand your office, you do not need to go for a totally different look as far the furniture is concern. You just need to give ONE call to Royal Ahrend and you will have your second order, matching your first order!! Isn’t that fantastic!

Custom made furniture is generally designed and manufactured by a local company in your country. This process will allow you to work closely with a designer (hand in hand) to design the ideal furniture piece that will fit the room, resulting in a custom made piece for your office/house/boat, etc.

Most probably, there will be only 1 piece manufactured and that is for you only! Unlike the ready made furniture, which you can find in every brochure/magazine and showroom, custom made is unique with your specific chosen finishing details.

Of course this will also be well designed, engineered and manufactured in a factory with experience and knowledge. However, usually only 1 year warranty is given on their products. The damage control with custom made furniture is lower than with ready made furniture. Because of the used materials!

In my years of experience within the industry I have found that a combination of using standard desking/seating/storage plus bespoke pieces at the reception areas and/or conferencing areas will result in a great office lasting many years and is a great solution!