Bring Us to Work

We're looking for submissions from you our Build2Sustain community.We're obsessed with making the space America works in more sustainable. Part of sustainability is growing the intrinsic value of a space. If a space is of value architecturally, we are much less likely to tear down and replace it. If we love the space we inhabit we're more likely to give it upkeep. We're more likely to sustain it. People often think this way when it comes to homes. Beautiful homes are renovated to their previous glory. We think giving working space as much value in our culture is just as important.

So we need your help. Tell us about one place you work. It could be your companies office, your cubicle, your favorite conference room, your local coffee shop, the park...wherever. We want to learn what these spaces have in common, what people find valuable. So here's what we need.

1) A picture a cell phone snapshot is fine...just a picture to go with the words...

2) Three things you love about this space...

3) Anything you would change about the space.

Email your submissions to our Raquel our director of community and we'll put a post up here on the site to talk about these spaces.

Thanks in advance guys...can't wait to see what you come up with....

Week in Review

Missed some of our content this week?  Here's a quick snapshot:

The number one issue that resonated most with you was that Your Office Sucks. We love seeing how many people identify with the issues we raised.  We'd love to hear a bit more about your experience in workspaces and what exactly you hate about the space you work in now (or have worked in the past).  The comment section awaits!

We also challenged you to think beyond Mediocre when it comes to the building stock of this country.  Because no one wants to be mediocre.

Holding fast in third place is my post from last Friday about The Trouble In Going At It Alone: a commentary on my experiences and observations at an Education Facilities Forum.

And if you're new to us, be sure to check out our Podcast and let us know what you think!

Your Office Sucks

If you’ve been following our blog for any amount of time, you know that we believe in sustainability. We even put it right in the company name to avoid confusion. While sustainability is at the core of everything we do, there are plenty of other reasons your company should undertake a renovation of it’s office space. I could write out a big long list with bullets, but let me sum up.

Your office sucks.

If you work for a company with leased office space, there is a very good chance your office genuinely, no two ways about it, unabashedly sucks. It’s probably beige, which isn’t even really a color, but a blah name for a blah non-color. It’s probably lit with ancient fluorescent technology in the most boring-directly-over-your-head-in-big-bright-squares kind of way. There are likely windows, and they’re likely far from your desk. You work on a boxy screen in a boxy cubicle in a boxy block of cubicles, on a boxy floor in a big box of a building. You get paid to think outside of one…but you’re in so many boxes everyday…it’s hard to know which one they mean. The air is stale, the carpet is old, it’s freezing in the summer from too much AC and stifling in the winter from too much heat. The conference rooms are just brighter versions of the box you work in all day. It makes you tired, makes you disinterested, makes you long to be outside. In short, your office, truly, and deeply sucks.

What if we could renovate that office? What if you could add some color and visual interest? What if we could re-light the space to add natural variations in color temperature and contrast? What if you ditched the boxes? What if your space was designed for the kind of work everyone does every day instead of the work the “average” office worker does everyday? What if you had access to privacy when you needed it and the ability to work somewhere comfortable when you wanted it? What if that new office also used less energy, made you more productive and actually improved your health?

There are dozens of reasons a renovation makes sense…reducing your company’s utility costs is just one of them.