Beyond sustainability: Decarbonisation, health and wellness 20 storeys above Times Square

Corporate Real Estate Journal Volume 13 Number 2

Beyond sustainability: Decarbonisation, health and wellness 20 storeys above Times Square Received (in revised form): 16th August, 2023 Jonce Walker Global Director of Sustainability and Wellness, HLW, USA

Jonce Walker, LEED AP, CSBA, Fitwel Ambassador, is the Global Director of Sustainability and Wellness at HLW where he oversees the coordination of a holistic, integrated design process, from managing BEYOND, HLW’s in-house sustainability, resilience and building performance consultancy, to reinforcing the company’s pledge to the AIA 2030 Commitment, which advocates for carbon-neutral construction in the next ten years. Utilising nearly two decades of experience in both the public and private sectors, Jonce is responsible for weaving sustainability into each stage of design, working to transcend project goals to maximise value for clients, repair ecology, reduce carbon and improve end-user health and wellness.

Abstract This paper details the process of creating a new sustainable workplace for Schrödinger’s New York City office, occupying four floors of 1540 Broadway in Times Square. The paper discusses how the project brought together a collaboration of stakeholders from Schrödinger’s leadership and HLW, including the team’s internal sustainability consultancy, BEYOND, to develop a workplace that prioritises health, well-being and the environment equally. The paper details the ambitious goals for both creativity and performance while explaining the process of pursuing three different rating systems — LEED v4 ID+C Gold, Fitwel 2 Stars and WELL Health-Safety — to solidify Schrödinger’s commitment to promoting an inspirational and ecologically conscious workplace culture.

Keywords: decarbonisation, sustain­ ability, workplace, wellness, certification INTRODUCTION Overlooking ‘the crossroads of the world’, Times Square, Schrödinger’s new New York City office, occupying four floors of 1540 Broadway, is a reprieve from the hustle and provides a haven of wellness and sustainability.

The new workplace brought together a collaboration of stakeholders from Schrödinger’s leadership and architecture company HLW, including our internal sustainability consultancy, BEYOND, to develop a workplace that prioritises health, well-being and the environment equally. Our multidisciplinary team set ambitious goals for both creativity and performance, pursuing three different rating systems — LEED v4 ID+C Gold, Fitwel 2 Stars and WELL Health-Safety — to solidify Schrödinger’s commitment to promoting an inspirational and ecologically conscious workplace culture.

During our process for the project, Schrödinger was very interested in learning about how we could advance wellness and sustainability at the same time. We took the time to review all the important attributes of these three rating systems with Schrödinger and ensured that the path we chose together was weighed through a triple-bottom-line lens. Interventions that addressed environmental impact were just as important as employee wellness and returning to work

Jonce Walker

HLW, 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001, USA Tel: +1 212-353-4600; E-mail: jwalker@hlw.com Corporate Real Estate Journal Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 181–191 © Henry Stewart Publications, 2043–9148

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post-COVID-19 pandemic. Each of these certifications has a different focus area; by pursuing all three together, a holistic definition of sustainability and wellness was accomplished, meeting all of Schrödinger’s goals.

IMPLEMENTING PERFORMANCEBASED DECARBONISATION From a performance perspective, the primary focus for Schrödinger’s new office was decarbonisation — specifically reducing embodied carbon emissions, the carbon dioxide emissions associated with materials and construction processes, as much as possible. Office spaces are notorious for their short life cycles, becoming increasingly resource-intensive as new residents completely redesign spaces through constant turnover. On average, interior spaces are renovated around seven to eight times in the life cycle of a building,1 accumulating into a massive, embodied carbon usage by the end of a building’s life. While technology may change, the infrastructure, finishes and furnishings of a space may remain in place across user types. By selecting materials and finishes with low embodied carbon impact that are durable and flexible, tenants are more likely to reuse products.

Many companies today attempt to address carbon emissions by offsetting them, making up for emitting carbon in one area by planting trees in another, for example.

Unfortunately, offsets alone are not enough; industries, and particularly real estate, need to reduce the emissions at the front end through better-informed choices. Looking at only the first cost is not the entire equation of project impact.

By taking sustainability into account from the onset, the strategy and design for Schrödinger’s new office emits 55 per cent less carbon than the construction industry average, which is responsible for 40 per cent of all global carbon emissions. Building

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operations are responsible for 27 per cent of those emissions annually, and embodied carbon, including building and infrastructure materials and construction, account for the additional 13 per cent each year.2 This reduction in carbon footprint also surpasses the benchmarks set by the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2030 Challenge, which seeks to bring the built environment to net zero emissions by 2030. According to the Architecture 2030 study, global building floor area is expected to double by 2060, meaning that in order to accommodate the largest wave of urban growth in human history, 2.4tr ft2 (230bnm2) of new floor area is expected to be added to the global building stock. Embodied carbon is a key player in reducing the impact of this rapid expansion in the next decades.

To achieve this, HLW and the BEYOND team carefully examined every partition, ceiling system, carpeting and all other materials entering the building, measuring their carbon footprint to ensure the most sustainable option is utilised throughout the course of the project, including CertainTeed Sustainable Insulation, EcoWorx products, and Armstrong ceiling and wall materials.

Further, the BEYOND team worked to incorporate as many materials as possible that had a ‘Healthy Product Declaration’,3 which acts as a nutrition label for the item, such as carpeting or ceiling tiles. The declaration lists everything that went into making the item, down to the chemistry, to ensure it was sustainably sourced. The product selection process was ongoing throughout the course of the project timeline.

During the design development phase, a proposed design was established based on Schrödinger’s needs as well as HLW’s standard products that are typically sourced for projects. The HLW design team worked with the specification and BEYOND teams to review the finished schedule, and throughout the process, BEYOND identified the best-performing products in the

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market and provided suggestions. The team then reviewed the submittals and updated the preliminary embodied carbon calculations to reflect the final products used on site.

The project team also implemented highperformance plumbing fixtures throughout the project — specifically, the team selected low-flush toilets and low-flow pantry taps and lavatory taps, using WaterSense labelled fixtures where applicable. This led to a 25.88 per cent reduction in indoor water use compared to a baseline developed by USGBC. All the materials that were selected or recommended by the BEYOND team were within budget. The team was given a rough cost per square foot to follow, so all the recommendations made were suited to be within the budget of the project.

A HOLISTIC VIEW OF THE WELLNESS-BASED WORKPLACE Every inch of the workplace raises the bar in reducing carbon while maximising wellness. More than just a formulaic approach, however, our team sought inventive, performant alternatives to traditional materials to exemplify this mission. For example, for several carpet products, the sustainable option is found in the carpet backing rather than the carpet fibres (see Figures 1, 2 and

Figure 1

3). Switching to a low-embodied carbon carpet tile backing has no impact on the aesthetic vision of the space and minimal cost impact. This exercise helped the space meet the LEED v4 ID+C Gold certification,4 as well, keeping sustainability in mind when addressing energy, water and other forms of waste in the design process.

For commercial interiors projects, the lighting design plays an important role in energy usage, which is why the team integrated daylighting and sensor lighting controls to meet energy conservation needs.

BEYOND worked closely with SPARK, the lighting designer of the project, to ensure that the lighting power density (watts perft2) was significantly reduced compared to the code requirements. By installing highperformance lighting fixtures, the project was able to achieve a 29 per cent reduction in lighting power density compared to the ASHRAE baseline.

In addition to the lighting design, the equipment and appliances installed in a tenant space can have a large impact on operational energy usage. BEYOND worked with Schrödinger’s IT department to ensure that all laptops, monitors, computers, power systems and additional audio visual (AV) equipment were ENERGY STAR labelled.

The same process occurred for kitchen and food equipment such as dishwashers,

EcoWorx backing system

Source: Ecoworx

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Beyond sustainability: Decarbonisation, health and wellness 20 storeys above Times Square

Figure 2

Carpet tile components

Source: Ecoworx

Figure 3

Typical floor: floor finishes

Source: HLW

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refrigerators, ice machines and beverage coolers. Overall, about 58 per cent of all appliances and equipment were ENERGY STAR rated, aiding in Schrödinger’s mission to decarbonise.

The project leveraged enhanced and monitoring-based commissioning, a mechanism for tracking energy output, to ensure that all mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems were tuned for peak performance.

During the functional performance testing period, several issues were noted: several of the lighting controls did not have the capacity to dim, daylight sensors needed additional calibration and programming, and a few of the air conditioning (AC) units were installed without grille covers on the supply air duct. The systems are confirmed to now be operating as complete and integrated infrastructure with an effective, reliabilitycentred maintenance programme in place.

Schrödinger looks at ways to reduce ozone depletion and support early compliance with the Montreal Protocol, the landmark international agreement focused on helping heal the ozone layer and protecting our planet from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. All refrigerants used in heating, ventilating, airconditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) equipment were selected to minimise or eliminate the emission of compounds that contribute to ozone depletion and climate change. In particular, no chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)-based refrigerants were used.

The sustainability conversation did not stop at the end of design — the construction process is crucial when looking at holistic sustainability for a new building or project. The general contractor onboarded for the Schrödinger project was responsible for maintaining a clean construction site from the onset of construction to project occupancy. This ensured that the well-being of construction workers and building occupants was maximised. Specific strategies included wrapping ductwork with plastic wrap to avoid particle contamination within

the systems, storing absorptive materials on wooden pallets and ensuring the site was swept free of debris. All systems outside the project space are properly equipped with MERV 13 filters to ensure volatile organic compounds (VOC) and PM 2.5 are captured.

The project team also diverted nearly 90 per cent of construction and demolition waste by source separating into four material streams.

These various programmes communicated both to Schrödinger’s staff, stakeholders and clients that the company remained conscious of its footprint throughout the entire process.

Being situated in Times Square in itself reduces the carbon footprint of employees at the office. Schrödinger does not provide any onsite parking, deterring employees from travelling to the office in private vehicles.

The project is located near the subway stops at Times Square and Bryant Park, which are some of the busiest transit hubs in the world. Furthermore, the office is within walking distance of Bryant Park and various restaurants, theatres, pharmacies and medical centres, again reducing the need for individual transport.

EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION AT THE FOREFRONT OF DESIGN It was also important for Schrödinger’s new office to be as healthy for the people within it as it is for the environment that surrounds it, which led to the pursuit of both Fitwel Certification and WELL HealthSafety Rated.5 Fitwel — which requires that rated spaces integrate the best strategies that science has to offer to optimise and improve health — serves as a signal to Schrödinger’s staff, stakeholders and clients that wellness has a key role in the design, development and day-to-day operations of its workplace.

Taking the priorities of health and wellbeing one step further, WELL Health-Safety focuses on operation policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to keep employees safe,

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Beyond sustainability: Decarbonisation, health and wellness 20 storeys above Times Square

developed in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schrödinger will be annually distributing employee satisfaction surveys as a part of their Fitwel Certification.

While the results of this survey will not be shared with the BEYOND Team, the findings can be used to improve features and programmes designed to support physical, mental and social health across the design and operations of the project.

The design team assisted Schrödinger with adjusting their emergency preparedness plan in order to align with the rigour of WELL Health-Safety, as well as co-developing a project-specific communication strategy to educate occupants about practices to reduce respiratory particle exposure. Schrödinger implemented an emergency notification system, whereby announcements can be distributed on each floor through fire alarm audio speakers. The project is also equipped with first aid kits as well as automated external defibrillators, which are located in the pantry areas on each floor and accessible to any occupant within a three to four-minute walking distance from anywhere in the office. To supplement these measures, certified training courses in CPR, first aid and automated external defibrillator (AED) usages are available to all employees on an annual basis.

The well-rounded design programme also addresses the mental health needs of occupants. The United Nations (UN) predicts that prior to COVID-19, one in five adults in the US experienced mental illness. Today, as many as 80 per cent of Americans6 are struggling with anxiety, depression, grief or isolation. As such, the WELL HealthSafety rating system also emphasises access to mental health resources. Schrödinger now has a robust mental health policy in place to provide employees with the resources, services and support they may need in any mental health situation.

Cleanliness is another important measure within the WELL Health-Safety rating system as it relates to COVID-19. Schrödinger

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collaborated with base building operations to ensure that a sufficient cleaning plan was in place for all bathrooms, break areas and common spaces. Further, BEYOND worked with the cleaning vendor to ensure that all chemicals and products were Green Seal certified to ensure sustainability measures were upheld.

To achieve the standards set by these programmes, the office layout was carefully planned to encourage movement while ensuring a safe distance could be maintained between desks as per health and safety guidelines for the current New York City environment (see Figure 4). For example, working alongside HLW’s internal environmental graphics and wayfinding team, brandx, the team integrated clever signage in conjunction with various creative design solutions to encourage stair usage; centrally located staircases were marked with step counts, providing a playful way for employees to measure the exercise they are getting by using the stairs rather than the lift (see Figure 5). Additionally, the staircase is not enclosed behind doors, walls, or other partitions that may obstruct visibility. It is equipped with handrails on both sides, as well as high contrast materials to ensure stair safety. There is a prominent lighting fixture that not only illuminates the staircase’s darker corners but calls attention to them. All these combined design elements promote stair usage, connecting back to Center for Active Design’s goal of active design.

The team also designed the office layout to ensure that all staff had easy and adequate access to water bottle filling stations, regardless of location in the space. In the pantry area, Fitwel credits were leveraged to develop fresh and healthy food options as default offerings. Connection to nature is also promoted throughout, with curated biophilic moments and sweeping views to the outdoors, with some windows featuring clever decals that articulate the air quality outside at that height.

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Figure 4

Typical floor: wall and millwork finishes

Source: HLW

The layout of the private offices and workstations in relation to the glass envelope was also taken into consideration early on in schematic design (see Figure 6 and 7). Studies show that access to quality views and natural light improve overall health, productivity and happiness levels. BEYOND conducted a daylight analysis for the project to inform the design, which measured levels of daylight and glare by looking at spatial daylight autonomy and annual sunlight exposure.

With a spatial daylight autonomy of 67 per cent and annual sunlight exposure of 17 per cent, the project is guaranteed ample sunlight without excessive glare (see Figure 8).

Further enabling employee well-being, Schrödinger committed to ongoing healthy programming activities that will be conducted free of cost for all employees. These programming events include exercise classes, cooking events, flu shot clinics, yoga sessions and lectures. The goal of these events is to

bring the greater Schrödinger community back together post-COVID-19 in a safe and enjoyable way that betters overall health and well-being.

Schrödinger’s programming also incorporates additional spaces throughout the office that promote equitable wellness, including three lactation rooms that are solely committed to breastfeeding. These spaces are equipped with electrical outlets, seating and a table to sufficiently support pumping and feeding. A separate ‘quiet room’ is solely intended for meditation, prayer or rest.

GRAPHICS AND WAYFINDING LEADING THE WAY Adding to the holistic experience of the workplace, Schrödinger also worked with brandx to create a graphics package that further promotes a creative, distinct and sustainable workplace. The fully integrated

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Beyond sustainability: Decarbonisation, health and wellness 20 storeys above Times Square

Figure 5

Stair steps count signage

Source: Pavel Bendov

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Figure 6

Layout of private offices

Source: Pavel Bendov

Figure 7

Layout of private offices

Source: Pavel Bendov

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Beyond sustainability: Decarbonisation, health and wellness 20 storeys above Times Square

Figure 8

Annual sunlight exposure

Source: HLW

branding and graphics campaign not only benefits the aesthetics and culture of the living laboratory, but also serves as an example of why offices at-large are essential to cultivating environments where breakthroughs are made, inventions come to life, and friendships are formed.

To fully immerse the industry-leading team and curious visitors within Schrödinger’s high-tech identity, the graphics team worked with a committee of Schrödinger’s experts and engaged in a series of symposiums, discussing how to illustrate scientific and mathematical imagery like graphene sheets, neurons, computer code and formulaic equations both accurately and artistically.

Developing a common design language for workspaces that host multiple teams is challenging; the design team leveraged signage solutions and wayfinding strategies that provided each floor with its own flair, while still

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falling under Schrödinger’s design umbrella.

Specifically, each floor has a different scientific theme (biology, chemistry, computer science and physics). Meeting room names correspond to their respective discipline.

Additionally, each floor features a prominent, highly technical graphic reflecting the associated discipline; for example, the biology floor showcases large supergraphics that represent neurons, highlighting their dendrites, nuclei, axons and myelin sheaths in a modern, high-tech way.

The graphics package also cements the connection between Schrödinger and the benefactors of its work through the office’s unparalleled commitment to sustainability.

This effort resulted in a workplace that will emit 55 per cent less carbon than the industry average, exceeding AIA’s 2030 goal of cutting emissions in the built environment by 65 per cent.

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As part of this discovery exercise, the branded graphics team also curated and installed a ‘gallery show’ hosted by Schrödinger, inviting employees to submit artistic concepts that echo the kinds of technical projects they work on. Beyond inspiring the design process, the gallery event itself contributed a sense of camaraderie among employees and deepened emotional ties to the company and its new space — ultimately resulting in 20 original employee artworks installed across the four floors.

Tying back to Schrödinger’s heritage, while avoiding clichés, the team put a unique spin on some of the café and pantry elements, featuring a pair of glasses which the Nobel prize-winner famously wore. One set hangs from the ceiling, fabricated using an energyefficient, LED ‘faux-neon’ light installation.

Inside the café, the bar’s backsplash depicts the Schrödinger formula, further celebrating the company’s history and integrating its story into every inch of the workspace.

The signage, wayfinding and branding package, while fun and creative, is also inherently inclusive, aimed at fostering an equitable and forward-looking environment.

Restroom doors, for example, depict the equipment in each room, rather than referencing binary pictograms, to associate space with function. Healthy lifestyles are further encouraged by signage highlighting the sustainable materials throughout the office, the air-quality index at the height of the 24th floor, as well as markers that encourage employees to take the stairs or go outside for a walk. At scale, this approach is reflective of Schrödinger’s intent for the new office: the industry-leading research, its society-benefiting contributions, and its plan to change the world is on display and everything else is intentionally shifted out of focus.

Bringing a deeper, analytical approach to the practice of sustainability with research and data-driven tools for the new Schrödinger office, these achievements address both operational and embodied carbon, as well as employee well-being and happiness. The resulting space is wholly unique, hallmarked by a primary focus on sustainability and making as little environmental impact as possible, while also being covered in functional, intelligent design elements for a workplace that is fun and familiar to work in.

References (1) Carbon Leadership Forum, ‘LCA of MEP and TI in Buildings’, available at https://carbonleadershipforum.org/officebuildings-lca/ (accessed 16th August, 2023).

(2) Architecture 2030, ‘Why the built environment?’, available at https:// architecture2030.org/why-the-builtenvironment/#:~:text=The%20built%20 environment%20generates%2040,for%20 an%20additional%2013%25%20annually (accessed 16th August, 2023).

(3) HPD, ‘Your Partner in Material Health Excellence’, available at https://www.hpdcollaborative.org/ (accessed 16th August, 2023).

(4) U.S. Green Building Council, ‘LEED rating system’, available at https://www.usgbc.org/ leed (accessed 16th August, 2023).

(5) WELL, ‘WELL Health-Safety Rating’, available at https://www.wellcertified.com/ health-safety/ (accessed 16th August,2023) (6) Nealon, M. (October 2021), ‘The Pandemic Accelerant: How COVID-19 Advanced Our Mental Health Priorities’, United Nations, available at https:// www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/ pandemic-accelerant-how-covid-19advanced-our-mental-health-priorities (accessed 16th August, 2023).

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