Canberra home to one of the world’s most liveable office buildings

The Canberra office of fit-out and refurbishment company ISIS was recognised as one of the world’s most liveable buildings at the 2012 International Livable Buildings Awards. Shortlisted projects must meet the highest global standards for providing healthy and productive indoor environments and represent best practices for sustainability and overall design.

Since the Livable Buildings Awards were established five years ago, more than 600 projects from across the globe have been entered. This is the first time an entrant from outside North America has been shortlisted.

ISIS’s Sustainability, Safety and Quality Group Manager, Joshua Bruce, said the recognition was testament to the company’s dedication to providing the highest quality work environment for its staff.

As part of its commitment, ISIS commissioned CETEC to undertake independent analysis of the indoor environment quality (IEQ) of its offices in Canberra and Melbourne. IEQ has a significant influence on occupant satisfaction and perception of the workplace, which can lead to improved staff engagement and productivity.

The IEQ assessments address important factors such as air quality, acoustics, thermal comfort and staff satisfaction. The analysis involved assessment of the old offices as well as the new offices 12 months after relocation to minimise the ‘buzz’ of the new office impacting on the results.

“Twelve months after the fit-outs were completed, the post-occupation study found a major improvement in all categories of occupant satisfaction,” Bruce said.

“These results were attributable to substantial improvements in thermal comfort, acoustic quality, lighting, office layout and measurable improvements in air quality, including CO₂, formaldehyde and volatile organic compound levels.”

IEQ forms a major component of the Green Star assessment and the design and construction of both ISIS offices targeted a high performance in this area. The independent analysis was undertaken to validate the achievement of this goal.

“As a contractor, the nature of our business makes it difficult to assess the direct impact of IEQ on productivity, but based on the level of improved staff satisfaction and findings from international research in this area, we’re confident that the focus on IEQ has been a sound investment,” Bruce said.

“The results of the Canberra and Melbourne IEQ assessments have informed the design of our subsequent office fit-outs and will assist our clients, where appropriate.”

In 2007, the ISIS board mandated a minimum objective of a 5 Star Green Star (Office Interiors v1.1) rating for all its offices and has achieved these ratings at its Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide offices, with Canberra, Darwin, Brisbane and Perth currently undergoing certification.