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SR Inc was pleased to host the Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable (SBER) Q3 2014 Executive Symposia: Healthier Buildings & Workplaces on September 18th at SBER Member-Client MetLife’s offices in New York, NY and September 25th at SBER Member-Client Oracle’s offices in Belmont, CA. 

In addition to the linked presentation slides, we invite you to review the major discussion points from the in-person and web-enabled meetings. Following are some key takeaways from the presentations delivered by SR Inc, highlighting general findings from among multiple Member-Clients during the preparation for this meeting:

• Increasingly, real estate and sustainability leaders are recognizing that employee and occupant health and wellness present a strategic focus and framing for the sustainability imperative.

• As an example, LEED, BREEAM, Green Globes, and other building certification schemes already include health-related metrics (e.g. bike amenities, low-VOC materials) that present a demonstrable benefit to employee productivity and health.
• The growing focus on preventative health within the healthcare and insurance industries is also driving a renewed focus on how businesses and real estate executives can promote fitness and health in the workspace.
• At the same time, highly-talented and increasingly mobile workers demand more flexible workspace designs that align with health and fitness-conscious lifestyles, e.g. remote work, alternative commuting, and fitness.
• Finally, a growing number of major weather events and the need for greater resiliency planning present a call to action for a focus on healthy, more sustainable materials and increased flexibility in space design.
• Leaders are reframing and communicating their health and wellness efforts to address this imperative across three focus areas: interior design and flexible workspaces, preventative health and employee wellness, and material toxicity and procurement guidelines.

Materials presented at the Q3 Executive Symposium and a summary of the discussions are available in SR Inc’s Member-only Digital Library. If you do not have a username and password, you may request an account. To download a copy of the presentation, discussion notes and key takeaways on Healthier Buildings & Workplaces, click here.