Business Benefits - Productivity

Productivity benefits

Green buildings consistently outperform non-green buildings in terms of comfort and productivity. Natural light, fresh air and access to views of the outdoors, as well as control over their own individual workspace temperature and lighting, can directly affect productivity.

For example, a post-refurbishment study of 500 Collins Street in Melbourne found a 9% increase in typing speeds of secretaries and a 7% increase in lawyers' billings ratio, despite a 12% decline in the average monthly hours worked.

At the City of Melbourne's CH2, Australia's first 6 Star Green Star - Office Design rated building, productivity has risen by an impressive 10.9% since staff moved into their green office, with an estimated annual cost savings of $2 million.

Green schools are also more productive places to work and learn. The Heschong Mahone Daylighting Study (1999) of more than 21,000 US students showed a dramatic correlation between daylit school environments and student performance, including 20% faster progression in maths, 26% faster progression in reading and an increased performance of up to 10% simply by providing students with views out of windows.

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