Five ways lighting design can transform your B-grade office into an A-list space
124 Walker Street, North Sydney, NSW Australia
Authors
From Stockholm to Sydney, the global office market has undergone a seismic shift over the previous five years. With hybrid working models now the norm, employees are demanding more from their office environments. Landlords of older inner-city office buildings must rethink their position in the market and consider how to compete with newer, A-grade commercial developments.
While location and affordability remain important, the real differentiator now lies in tenant experience, sustainability, and having the right technology in place to meet the evolving needs of the digital world. Here are five interventions that can deliver a premium tenant experience at reasonable costs to landlords, all while enabling future tenants to benefit from reduced operational costs and a reduced carbon footprint.
1. Create inviting common areas
When it comes to older office buildings, first impressions matter. Upgrading building lobbies and common areas can make a significant difference. Simple upgrades to end-of-trip facilities, communal spaces or introducing a creative lighting feature can breathe life into an old building. For example, at 99 Mount Street in North Sydney, cost-effective upgrades have helped evolve very basic end-of-trip amenities and service entry into a beautiful, safe and welcoming space, adding tangible value to the tenant experience.
99 Mount Street, Sydney, NSW Australia
“Through innovative design decisions and smart product specification, we were able to stretch a small budget to achieve a major transformation, as well as incentivise more building occupants to incorporate exercise as part of their journey to work.”
Bettina Easton
2. Develop a modern lighting design
COVID-19 has changed our perception of what fosters productivity and creativity in the office. A human-focused interior and lighting concept is now essential.
At 124 Walker Street, a 1970s commercial office block, a new lighting concept was implemented to cater to individual preferences and modern working practices. We opted to remove base building luminaires and prioritise a flexible, task-based approach that treated each area of the office individually. Each workstation has a linear pendent that can be controlled and adjusted to meet preferences of the individual. Meeting rooms and communal spaces have been designed to bring people together and complement collaborative tasks, with multiple luminaires including wall lights and pendants that allow you to change the level of light depending on needs, time of day and mood.
124 Walker Street, North Sydney, NSW Australia
3. Embrace technology and smart controls
An office that facilitates the perfect Teams call is now at the top of every prospective tenant’s wish list. Yet, the potential for technology to improve tenant experience is not limited to facilitating hybrid meetings.
Integrating smart controls into an office’s lighting design such as Bluetooth-controlled systems, sensory lighting and responsive lighting that changes output based on levels of natural light can significantly enhance tenant comfort and energy efficiency. These technologies allow for personalised lighting preferences, automatic adjustments based on occupancy and daylight levels, and seamless integration with Building Management Systems (BMS) for centralised control.
4. Maximise natural light and open spaces
Utilising natural light is just as important, if not more important, than artificial light. Implementing open floor plans and undergoing parametric modelling to build your fit-out around natural light allows you to take advantage of well-lit areas and boost productivity. Reflective surfaces and light-coloured finishes further amplify daylight penetration, creating a more inviting atmosphere.
The fit-out we delivered for First Sentier Investors in central Sydney took full advantage of natural lighting. Workstations were placed nearest to windows to align areas of productivity with natural light sources, and temporary spaces such as meeting rooms were positioned in darker areas so that they could benefit from flexible mood-powered lighting controls.
“Maximising natural light not only reduces energy consumption but also enhances employee satisfaction and productivity.”
Bettina Easton
5. Prioritise sustainability
Sustainability is quickly becoming a fundamental requirement in the commercial office market. Lighting offers a cost-effective intervention for improving the sustainability credentials of any office space and plays a key role in ESD strategies when targeting certification schemes such as Green Star, WELL and NABERS accreditations.
Human-focused and task-based lighting, embracing smart controls, and maximising natural light can reduce energy consumption and improve the efficiency of office spaces, whilst reducing operational costs for future tenants. Our lighting design for First Sentier Investors’ fit-out delivered a 3 watt per square meter outcome, a fantastic uplift in efficiency compared to the 9 watt per square meter scenario of the base building design.
The path to attracting the next generation of tenants involves a strategic blend of modernisation, sustainability, and adaptability. By investing in thoughtful upgrades that place people at the heart of your building and align with contemporary tenant expectations, B-grade office buildings can not only compete with A-grade properties but also carve out a unique position in the market.
