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China will build 50,000 skyscrapers over the next 20 years.

JUCCCE Green Office in a Box

Program Name:

Target Audience:

Office managers, developers, interior designers

Impacts:

Provides managers of new office build-outs and retrofits, with a turnkey solution to create more healthy and energy-efficient office interiors.

Why does green office design matter?

According to the Energy Information Administration, offices use the most total energy of all commercial space in the US.

There are 168 hours in a week, yet most offices are only used for 50 to 60 of those hours!

"Office lights left on overnight use enough energy in a year to heat a home for almost 5 months." Carbon Trust UK

China is building at a tremendous pace. Between 1995 and 2006, China added 128 million square feet of office-building floor space (CEIC Database). In 2007, Shanghai alone added 4.8 million square feet of new office space (CNN). Over the next 20 years, McKinsey projects that 50,000 new skyscrapers (10 Manhattans) will be built.

The built environment consumes 37% of China's total energy (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab). This estimate includes both building construction and energy use.
Prime office space, which is the best initial target for greening, is a significant percentage of total office floor space built each year.

In Beijing in the second quarter of 2008, a total of 172,500 square meters of office space came on line, while take-up reached 137,444 square meters (CBRE).
In Guangzhou, more than one million square meters of new supply will come into the market, between July 2008 and December 2009 (CBRE).

What Is Green Office In a Box?

The JUCCCE Green Office in a Box is a website, aimed at getting facility managers and interior designers thinking green when they build out an office space. The site will provide a holistic view of what a "green office" means, and provide specific resources and recommendations for implementation. This includes design, building materials, office decor, office equipment, daily operations, and end-of-life tear down.

It will be marketed to new tenants via their property managers or real estate agents, upon signing of a new lease. At an office lease signing in China, an office manager is faced with an empty cement box. An office or facilities manager is likely to partner with an interior designer, for completion of interior build out. At this early stage of the design process, involved parties are very susceptible to visual stimulus and are more-likely to respond to suggestions regarding how comfortable, healthy and energy–efficient a green office interior can be.

What are the barriers to greener offices in China?

Build-out managers need to be able to cost-justify "going green" to their executives. Green Office in a Box makes case studies available in a compelling and simple way.
Build-out managers need a holistic view of how to go green. Green Office in a Box is a simple, visually stimulating kit that explains the different levers under an office manager's control and how these levers impact energy use.
Green Office in a Box makes green purchasing easier. In China, green consumers have difficulty finding an end-to-end selection of sustainable building materials and office décor in one place. General retail in China is very fragmented; companies generally have trouble locating desired products. Since sustainability is new, in China, many purchasers don't know which sustainable products are available. Finding green products is nearly impossible. The simple act of providing a turnkey presentation of green vendors will make implementation of green offices much easier in China.

How can JUCCCE’s program have a big impact?

Office managers have office workers' interest in hand and have an interest in learning how a green office means a healthy and comfortable office. Office managers may be responsible for ongoing utility bills—and therefore interested in learning about the money-saving techniques inherent in energy-efficient design.
Office managers can significantly impact energy demand when they:

Choose which architects and interior designers they work with, when building office space to-suit.
Set guidelines for "green" building materials. 30% of a building's energy use is embedded in construction materials (Whole Building Design Guide).
Set guidelines for interior design layout and interior décor.
Recycle office furniture, materials, and equipment at end of lease.
Teach office workers how to operate offices in an energy efficient manner.
Purchase office equipment, which makes up 40% of total office electricity use (Arizona Power Services).

Timeframe

The initial vendors in our consortium are helping us design the website approach. The website content is currently being pulled together. The website launch has been delayed due to financial crisis impact on the building market.

Success Metrics

Number of website registrants
Increased sales for vendors
Satisfaction of facility managers with website

How can I get more information?

Contact: programs@juccce.com

Press: Shanghai Star Business Journal, July 7, 2008

How can you help JUCCCE make Green Office in a Box successful?

Be a Corporate Sponsor (sustainable marketing opportunity)

Vendors of high quality sustainable building materials, lighting and controls, décor can utilize this channel to differentiate their products and reach a large audience.

Be a Channel Partner

We are looking to add property managers, real estate agents, and interior designers who want to differentiate their service with sustainability knowledge. Channel partners can private label our JUCCCE Green Office in a Box kit, and are responsible for production and distribution.