New Bangkok office buildings incorporate health and wellness

Nearly 40 percent of new office buildings planned in Bangkok are incorporating health and wellness features in their designs along with energy efficiency, moving beyond standard “green buildings,” according to the global real estate firm CBRE.

“Over the last two decades, developers and occupiers have increasingly focused on the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings. While this trend is continuing, the pandemic has placed even more attention on health and wellness in the workplace,” said Ingfah Damrongchaitham, an analyst at Research and Consulting, CBRE Thailand.

“Roughly 70 percent of the office buildings in Bangkok are now over 20 years old. Most of them are running on old technology, with mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering systems that score low on energy efficiency. Hence, 40 percent of planned office buildings in Bangkok have applied for either LEED or WELL certifications,” Infgah said.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used system for rating a building’s “green” credentials. WELL is an organization that awards certificates based entirely on the health, wellness and safety of the people who occupy a building.

One reason that many multinational corporations and other businesses choose Bangkok for their regional headquarters is the value in terms of affordability and attractiveness of office space. Other contributing factors include strategic location, infrastructure and business-friendly policies and incentives.

“We can see a clear trend that the real estate sector is seeking to gain independent validation of the design, functionality, liveability, sustainability and connectivity of their developments in order to improve the desirability of their products and also assist companies in fulfilling their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals,” Ingfah added.

Photo courtesy of https://www.cbre.cz/en/services/