Real Solutions
Insight for today’s real property administrators
October 2010
Four private sector best
practices for sustainability,
space efficiency and savings
Earlier this year, President Obama signed a Presidential
Memorandum to identify and eliminate excess properties and make
better use of remaining real property assets. The goal is to dispose
of assets, cut operating costs, decrease energy consumption,
optimize owned and leased inventories and reduce future space
needs. These are critical areas of focus for all public-sector entities
– federal, state and local alike.
The General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Defense
(DOD), Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) are presenting their agency’s initiatives to comply
with the Memorandum. Their activities include an evaluation of
disposition alternatives, facility optimization, workplace solutions,
energy audits and renewable energy sources. Many of these
initiatives have been underway for some time, but there is a notable
focus on driving measurable solutions through energy efficiency. In
each of the federal agencies, benchmarking is underway for every
expense dollar and square footage of usage as well as the emission
An effective green measurement tool
A convenient online tool called eco2 Workplace measures an
organization’s environmental impact across large leased and
owned real estate portfolios. This tool goes beyond energy
of greenhouse gases.
consumption metrics to assess “ways of working,” including
Agencies such as the GSA are very focused on finding ways to
commute and meeting patterns, and workplace locations and
drive down occupancy costs through creative workplace solutions
such as teleworking and shared desk space. Proven private sector
approaches such as these—which represent significant departures
from how agencies have done business in the past—will be
necessary to make a real impact toward optimizing government
real estate portfolios. Here are four private sector best practices
that can assist in achieving greater sustainability, space efficiency
and savings.
the impacts of widely distributed work groups, employee travel,
design. It also allows users to conduct sensitivity analyses on
potential modifications to workplace programs, and benchmarking
of portfolio performance against comparable public and private
sector entities. Armed with these metrics and analytics, real
estate decision makers can effectively communicate the value of
implementing workplace strategies to stakeholders and devise a
strategic plan and prioritize initiatives for the greatest impact.
Real Solutions
1. “Right-size” space to occupancy needs
3. Create collaborative workspaces
Many private-sector entities have discovered unused and underutilized
For many private sector workers, the four-walled office is obsolete. In
its place are popular space reduction strategies, such as desk-sharing,
hoteling and group workroom arrangements for employees engaged
in alternative work strategies such as telework programs, who do not
require daily office space.
space in their portfolios that can be eliminated through consolidation
into smaller, more efficient quarters. Often, a careful portfolio-wide
measurement reveals at least 10-15 percent more of this “shadow
vacancy” on the ground than appears in their records. Eliminating
this unused space reduces portfolio expenses and eliminates energy
and lighting.
These collaborative arrangements also typically reduce energy use
by limiting the number of computers and servers needed to support
the office.
2. Support telework arrangements
4. Digitize documents
The Washington, D.C. area snow storms of last winter that shut
Additionally, these collaborative workspaces contribute to a more
sustainable, paperless environment since the need for individual
storage spaces is reduced, prompting users to rely more on
electronic documents. Consider digitizing all documents not required
in hard copy to dramatically reduce document storage space while
boosting efficiency and productivity. The U.S. Government Printing
Office (GPO) has developed FDsys, a robust content repository that
is digitizing all documents accessible through the Federal Depository
Library. In doing this, GPO upgraded its IT platform to eliminate
more than 20 separate servers and reduced energy needed to
support this application by 50 percent.
consumption and the operational costs associated with heating, cooling
down the federal government for four days have prompted a
greater push toward alternative work strategies within government.
Office of Personnel Management Director, John Berry set a goal of
increasing the number of eligible federal employees who telework
by 50 percent by fiscal year 2011 and has encouraged agencies to
develop their own telework initiatives. Telework arrangements that
enable employees to work at home or from satellite telework centers
closer to where they live are becoming one of the most popular ways
to sustainably reduce space. A decrease in the number of workers
needing daily office space allows agencies to rethink their space
utilization, and ultimately shed space. Fewer employees commuting
means fewer vehicles on the road, which contributes to a reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions.
The advantages don’t end with space and sustainability. Numerous
surveys have confirmed that teleworkers are more productive since
they feel a greater autonomy over their work schedules and quality
of life is improved when less time is spent commuting. Many private
sector entities also use alternative work programs as a means for
recruiting and retaining employees.
For more information on how you can achieve sustainability, space
efficiency and cost savings throughout your real property portfolio,
please contact: Kim Burke, +1 202 719 5613.
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