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of Bolon’s recycled plastic carpeting
bouncing daylight further into the
space. Dimmer switches start to reduce
artificial lighting at 300 Lux and cut it
off completely at 600 Lux.
Nourishment:
The Town Hall café
at the heart of the office creates a
community feel and has given Cundall
the opportunity to consider elements,
such as the provision of fresh fruit
throughout the day, as well as more
basic concepts like limiting processed
foods and clearly labelling items to
highlight artificial ingredients and
potential allergies.
Water:
After tests on the office tap
water revealed nickel content in
excess of World Health Organisation
recommended levels, Cundall installed a
large filter to provide the café with clean
water.
Fitness:
Features to encourage the
health and fitness of employees were
incorporated into the planning of the
building, including changing facilities,
showers and more than 115 cycle racks.
Cundall’s Green Travel Plan sets out
transport nodes, bus routes and Boris
bike stations to encourage greener
commuting, and a weekly yoga class
helps staff exercise and relax.
Comfort:
To ensure staff are
comfortable at work, Cundall monitors
a range of factors, including ergonomics,
acoustics, electromagnetic fields,
hygiene, temperature control and air
flow. For space utilisation, it uses the
BCO (The British Council for Offices)
benchmark of 10ft2/person.
Mind:
Artworks, plants, personal items,
quiet places and social areas are all
incorporated into the design to enrich
the mental and emotional wellbeing
of occupants. In addition to the trellis
and green walls, there are living moss
panels in one of the meeting rooms and
individual plants arranged on shelving
throughout the office. Acoustic materials
are used to limit noise, including Cat
A perforated ceiling tiles with acoustic
backing, acoustic baffles in the tall
shelving units and Baux acoustically
absorbent panels behind the reception
desk.
Working example
Alan Fogarty, Sustainability Partner at
Cundall, hopes the new office will prove
an inspiration for other companies. “We
have taken the refurbishment of our own
London office and used it as an exemplar
project, not only for ourselves, but also
for our clients and collaborators,” he said.
“We’ve created a living, working
example of how theWELL Building
Standard can be applied, without
breaking the bank. Our figures show a
We’ve created
a living,
working
example of
how the WELL
Building
Standard can
be applied,
without
breaking the
bank
total uplift in the project costs of £200
per head.We are putting in place control
measures to see exactly how theWELL
building elements will improve staff
welfare against our old office. However,
anecdotal feedback from our staff has
confirmed the new office as a great hit.”
AlthoughWELL is designed to work
harmoniously with other green building
certifications, Fogarty points out that
putting the wellbeing of occupants first
can create complications.
“The acceptance of sustainability,
the ‘wellbeing’ of the planet and the
environment, as an integral part of most
developments has been a long fight.
WELL Building Standard takes a slightly
different view, putting people’s wellbeing
at the heart of the building. One thing
our design at One Carter Lane has shown
quite clearly is that although the two
ideas need to be addressed together
and holistically, the two are not always
completely compatible,” he said.
The project has given Cundall
employees valuable experience in
how best to combine the wellbeing
of the person and the wellbeing of
the environment in a single design –
knowledge they will be able to share
with other organisations wanting to
achieveWELL certification.
Already, four Cundall consultants have
attainedWELL Accredited Professional
(WELL AP) credentials, including Kavita
Kumari in London, Paul Chatwin in
Birmingham, Melanie Louie in Hong
Kong and Paula Onofrievici in Bucharest.
Photos: Dirk Lindner
