4 Eco-Friendly Offices in London (Second Home, Sustainable Workspaces & More)

As the world works against the clock on a climate recovery plan, businesses are playing their part by setting net zero targets. Considering the built environment accounts for 40% of global carbon emissions, choosing green-rated or eco-friendly office space is a powerful step towards a healthier planet.

As the world of work evolves, how can you stay competitive?

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The benefits of eco-friendly office space

Green, high quality office space doesn’t just benefit the environment, it benefits businesses, too, and this is becoming more widely acknowledged. When asked: “What do you regard as the main benefits of occupying ‘green’ accredited real estate?”, 53% of businesses we surveyed said it supports ESG strategies – including net zero carbon targets, 49% said it enhances their brand, and 40% said it improves their business’s attractiveness to clients and customers.

Plus, younger generations of talent are becoming increasingly green-conscious, and in turn, want to work for businesses that align with their ethos.

It comes as no surprise, then, to see why some of the world’s most competitive brands occupy impressively sustainable buildings. Take Amazon for example. Not only does its Seattle office include The Spheres – a jungle-inspired, plant-filled greenhouse of workspace – but it sits opposite a data centre that gives off excess heat from its computer servers. Amazon extracts this heat waste, pushes it through heat-reclaiming chillers, and uses it to heat its own office.

Such world-class examples are aspirational, but businesses can start small, with an office that simply features eco-friendly aspects. These can include building designs that minimise energy demand through thermal storage; effective waste management and recycling; integrated renewables; smart lighting and sensor usage; mobile apps that help customise environments (such as lighting and temperature); built-in e-mobility solutions, internal green spaces and external ecological corridors.

For teams keen to make a difference, here’s a handful of environmentally friendly offices in London.

4 eco-friendly offices in London

Second Home, Spitalfields

Second Home, Spitalfields

68 Hanbury Street, London, E1 5JL

Second Home is famed for its biophilic office design. Its Los Angeles office features an acre of outdoor space, comprising garden offices and LA’s densest urban forest – with 6,500 trees. Here in London, its Spitalfields space (the original launchpad) exclusively features mid-century recycled furniture – you’ll never find two chairs that look the same.

Plus, it features over a thousand plants, with in-house gardeners visiting twice a week to make sure they’re always looking fresh. For events and networking, the top floor includes a bar and a terrace that overlooks the City, with inside-outside ponds and plenty of reeds to complete the landscape.

Sustainable Workspaces, County Hall

Sustainable Workspaces, County Hall

Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB

Andrew Wordsworth, Chris Morris and James Byrne wanted to tackle the twin challenges of climate change and resource scarcity. Over nine years of working towards this purpose, they have launched 10 sustainable companies under the umbrella of Sustainable Ventures.

But as Sustainable Ventures grew, their teams struggled to find office space that was well-located, affordable, equipped for a growing headcount, and had the right space for prototyping. So, they decided to create their own, branding it Sustainable Workspaces.

Not only is the workspace inhabited by sustainable businesses, but reclaimed materials make up the vast majority of the County Hall fit-out. Members’ products are also utilised throughout the space, such as the Toast beer in the bar, (which uses surplus bread as opposed to virgin barley to reduce the demand for land, water and energy) and Extract Coffee Roasters coffee in the café (which builds long-term, sustainable relationships with its farmers based on a quality-pay ethos).

Myo, Dashwood House, Liverpool Street

Myo, Dashwood House, Liverpool Street

69 Old Broad Street, London, EC2M 1QS

When it comes to sustainability, Dashwood house has an impressive list of features. 100% of its electricity is supplied from renewable sources, and 100% of its operational waste is diverted from landfills, with 85% of it being recycled. The building also holds a BREEAM rating of Excellent, and Myo’s workspaces are designed to achieve the WELL Building Standard (Gold target).

Situated in a newly redeveloped 17-storey building, Myo’s four floors of workspaces feature timeless interiors, versatile breakout areas and carefully curated artworks. Offices also include plenty of biophilic design, providing lush, air-purifying greenery.

Orega, Old Bailey

Orega, Old Bailey

20 Old Bailey, London, EC4M

Just a stone’s throw away from St Paul’s Station, 20 Old Bailey is known for being energy efficient. It offers confidential waste collection with secure, sustainable shredding and disposal; secure cycle storage, allowing teams to reduce their carbon footprint with an active commute; and climate control facilities which allow teams to heat or cool their space as they like it, avoiding one sweeping temperature across the floor.

Plus, with plenty of natural light, tech-enabled meeting rooms and unlimited, espresso-based coffee you can order from your phone, eco-conscious teams are bound to hit the ground running.