The Benefits of Sustainable Office Buildings in People's Republic of China (PRC): Revelation of Tenants and Property Managers

• Published in: Journal of facilities management Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 337 - 352
• Main Authors: Lo, Kak K., Hui, Eddie Chi-man, Zhang, Kai-xuan Vicky
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bingley Journal of Facilities Management 26.08.2014; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Building construction; Climate change; Employees; Energy consumption; Facilities management; Fossil fuels; Greenhouse effect; High rise buildings; Office buildings; Office space; Sustainability; China
• ISSN: 1472-5967; 1741-0983
• DOI: 10.1108/JFM-10-2012-0048

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the benefits derived from sustainable office buildings in PRC through their green features with particular reference to energy efficiency. Design/methodology/approach A survey on operating costs, energy impacts, productivities from property managers and tenants of sustainable office buildings was conducted in Shenzhen, PRC. All survey data was collected from a portfolio of 12 sustainable office buildings and from 76 responses out of over 400 tenants who had moved into these buildings from conventional office buildings. Findings Most tenants were concerned with sustainable operations, practices, and policies. Some of them held that sustainable office buildings contribute to higher productivity and less sick time. These buildings typically consume less electricity and water, and have higher occupancy rates and rents. Research limitations/implications There are only 40 numbers of sustainable office buildings in Shenzhen, our study albeit with proper methodology with 12 numbers of sample buildings may not reflect entirely the attitudes of tenants and property managers of sustainable office buildings in Shenzhen. Advisably, future works can be carried out on a larger scale in other main cities of PRC to obtain a more comprehensive and precise evaluation on which strategic sustainable Central/Local Government policies might be formulated. Originality/value The concept of facilities management on sustainable buildings, especially on their derived benefits, is relatively new in developing countries such as China. This study is one of the first attempts in this area. In addition, this paper also contributes to existing literature by looking into the green lease provisions and operating policies of these sustainable buildings.