The sustainable workplace and workplace design

Abstract

Cities have changed much over the last century, with many now boasting a population of more than 10 million people. This growth reflects a concentration of economic activities within a small geographical area. As part of this, we have seen a tremendous transformation in the nature of economies. The service, or tertiary, sector will clearly be the biggest work consumer in the next century (Gomes and Aouad 2000a). This fact has already changed the city’s appearance over the last 30 years. The tertiary sector now occupies the core of the city (something that developments in eCommerce and eBusiness are likely to embed further). This, in turn, has led to mass commuter flows to and from the centres, with all the cost this incurs with regard to pollution, health, energy, urbanisation and social integration. Such commuter flows reflect the fact that the working habits and methods in services are very much the same as those employed since the industrial revolution. This unsustainable situation must change. As this chapter will explain, workplace designers and city planners need to find new and more sustainable ways of supporting economic processes.

Keyword : sustainable, population , Cities ,workplace