FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
A report produced by Remit Consulting and published by the BCO found that putting active commuting at the heart of ESG policies can increase health and wellbeing and help companies cut carbon emissions. But how much enthusiasm is being shown by the built environment in improving end-of-trip facilities that support more sustainable forms of travel and encourage workers to travel into the office?
THE PROPERTY CONSULTANT’S VIEW
NEIL WEBSTER,
DIRECTOR AT REMIT CONSULTING
In 2022, Remit Consulting, on behalf of the British Council for Offices (BCO), authored “Market Cycles II – The Impact of Cycling on Office Buildings”, a research report that built upon their previous research conducted in 2017, focusing on the influence of active transport on offices, their design, development and management.
The report highlighted a shift in emphasis from quantity to quality when it comes to active travel amenities within office environments. As remote working has become more prevalent, offices face competition (from the home) and employees seek attractive environments to visit, rather than solely functional workspaces. Consequently, landlords are now designing and remodelling office spaces to meet these evolving demands, and the report showed that it has become imperative for office spaces to consider the requirements of active travellers. It highlighted that simply providing ample bike racks is not sufficient if employees lack proper changing facilities or secure storage spaces for their bikes.
On a recent planning visit for our annual ReTour event, we visited nine London office buildings and assessed the facilities they provide for staff and visitors choosing active travel. Each building revealed that standards are increasing all the time, offering a better experience for end users. This continual improvement was underlined by some of the winners of the recent BCO Awards. Three examples of good practice in this area are Henrietta House, in London’s West End, which won the BCO’s London Award for Best Corporate Workplace, The Lincoln in Manchester, the winner of the BCO’s Northern Award for Best Commercial Workplace, and Clockwise in central Southampton, which was the Southwest Award winner for Best Fit Out of Workplace.
The Market Cycles II report suggested that while progress has been made, the transition from a quantity-driven approach to a quality-driven one has significantly influenced developers’ considerations in office specifications over the past five years. There is much still to be done, particularly with other cultural and societal changes, notably the increasing use of cargo bikes in our towns and cities. They are one of the forms of active and sustainable travel which are helping to decarbonise the transport system and are having an influence on the built environment, well beyond end-of-trip facilities.
Again, our recent ReTour visit showed that there are varying policies towards e-Cargo bikes. Some are very welcoming, but others have banned them because of a perceived issue with battery risks. The various aspects of the real estate (including FM) and transport industries need to deal with this issue if carbon reduction commitments are to be met.
Earlier in the year, the Government announced a £200 million cut to the active travel budget, which will put the brakes on some infrastructure projects being developed to support cycling and walking infrastructure in England.
However, it is encouraging to see UK cities drafting and agreeing on policies which support a more active travel-driven society. In both Birmingham and Leeds, transport policies and strategies have considered limiting city centres to private cars. In addition, the Borough of Lambeth has developed its Kerbside strategy which seeks to free up more public space for cycling, walking and dwelling.
It seems it is a mixed bag of good and less good news, and we still have a long ride ahead.
THE GREEN ACTIVIST’S VIEW
GEORGIA ELLIOTT-SMITH,
MANAGING DIRECTOR, ELEMENT FOUR
For many years, green building certificates such as BREEAM have been a prerequisite for large corporate tenants. More recently, WELL and Fitwel have encouraged better provision of active travel facilities to boost the health and wellbeing of building users. What’s become clear is that no one certification is a panacea for all the concerns of responsible corporates. Many prospective tenants with more advanced ambitions for tackling climate change are now asking for approaches that go beyond certification tick boxes.
Providing excellent end-of-journey facilities provides an opportunity to boost health and reduce stress, offer travel flexibility, and greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to potentially tens of thousands of journeys to and from the building annually. These ‘scope 3’ emissions are rarely discussed by design teams but are a huge part of the climate impact of the built environment, and of increasing concern to the companies that participate in carbon reporting and reduction initiatives such as the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi).
Schemes such as BREEAM, WELL and Fitwel encourage the provision of cycle storage, maintenance tools, drying lockers, showers and changing facilities, with each scheme requiring differing proportions of each. BCO and the London Plan provide even more alternative compliance requirements. Instead of simply seeking to tick a box, we like to deeply consider the opportunities for green travel and possibility for leisure activities at each unique location, asking the question “if I worked here, what would I need to support a more active lifestyle?”. This inevitably leads to extra provisions that make life easier for all – from bookable lockers that can be used to store clothes overnight, or an iron for shirts that have been stuffed in a rucksack, to easy-to-use tools and free or pay-to-vend supplies to repair a punctured tyre. Female-inclusive amenities like hair drying/straightening stations, sanitary products, and toiletries can transform cycling to work from a pain to a pleasure.
Of course, the available modes of active travel are evolving at pace – new challenges are arising over storage for myriad cycle and scooter types, including concerns about the fire risk of sub-standard batteries in electric devices. However, we must not indulge knee-jerk reactions. A well-thought-through plan can embrace all transport modes and user needs by activating a variety of different spaces around your site and employing risk management techniques similar to PAT testing of electrical equipment, enabling vehicle ‘passes’ to be issued. There’s no such thing as a new idea!
