“Although they are not taking it for granted, forward-thinking developers, owners, and tenants have started treating sustainability as a given — they simply assume that maximizing sustainability is part of their brief,” states a new report from Philips on “living” smart buildings. The report considers the development of attitudes towards sustainable building. Namely how the evolution of green buildings is not only reducing energy consumption but also enhancing quality of life of buildings occupants as well as creating cost savings and productivity gains which are positively impacting building owners bottom lines. According to the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, “sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. Companies aiming for sustainability need to perform not against a single, financial bottom line but against the triple bottom line.” While energy efficiency, cost reduction, and green building certification remain important goals, future office designs also take employee health and happiness […]