Environmentally Responsible Warehouse Design
From our own homes to the businesses we work with, sustainability is more important to us than ever. Companies staying ahead of the trend with eco-friendly warehouse design can easily take advantage of this shift. By going the extra mile to create a responsible environment, businesses can show they are serious about going green.
Are you interested in improving the eco-friendliness of your business? Curious about what's needed to create an environmentally responsible warehouse design? Many different factors can impact how environmentally friendly a warehouse is.
And it is often the case that responsible warehouse design goes hand in hand with improved long-term business performance. Many of the ways in which businesses can reduce their carbon footprint or minimise their environmental impact can also yield improvements in efficiency, productivity and the wellbeing of staff which can have a positive impact on the bottom line.
Cosmetic Changes
Cosmetics may not be your first thought when it comes to warehouses. But the appearance of a building can make a difference when it comes to blending in with your surroundings. Instead of standing out in dark metals and primary colours, more warehouse designers opt for natural colours in order to better blend into the nearby environment for an unspoiled view of the terrain.
Much of responsible design falls to tweaking efficiencies and numbers. But changing your warehouse's outward appearance can also do a lot of good. Allowing large buildings to blend into their environment like the Morrisons distribution centre in Bridgewater can help. With the use of natural greens, blending into the countryside and not sticking out is a far easier task and in many cases is required by planning departments.
Energy Consumption & Production
Energy is a serious consideration for eco-friendly warehouse design. Both in terms of what is consumed and where that energy comes from. More and more commercial and industrial businesses are moving to solar power for self-sustaining energy. Any warehouse looking to improve a 'green' status might consider implementing eco-friendly energy methods themselves.
For energy production, the use of solar panels is a popular option. For warehouses in the South of England, fair weather is generally more plentiful. Amazon UK is already well ahead of the curve with extensive solar systems across a range of facilities. Warehouse design and solar systems go hand in hand. Solar may not offset 100% of your power usage, but it still serves as a part of environmentally responsible design to reduce a carbon footprint.
As for energy consumption, design can play a role in how much you use and how efficient a site is. High levels of consumption through outdated electric systems can play a large role. For both the electric bill and overall eco-friendliness, going green is a good choice. Businesses that consider installing new systems are likely to set themselves up for green warehouse design success.
Warehouse Location
Location is everything when it comes to your warehouse. In more ways than you might think. One hundred employees driving out to a scenic location five miles outside of town may make for a nice drive. Still, it also means a considerable amount of fossil fuels being used, pushing your carbon footprint higher. The same applies to logistics. The further your lorries or vans must travel, the less eco-friendly you are.
Distribution centres and production buildings can be optimised through location. This can be achieved by choosing a warehouse that works for their network. Part of warehouse design is choosing where your warehouse should be in the first place. By picking a site that saves costs and saves on additional travel, warehouse owners are doing a good thing for the planet and also getting the most benefit from solar systems, efficiency improvements, and more.
Workflow Efficiency
An integral part of excellent warehouse design is the workflow processes followed. Inefficiencies can cost time and money for how a business runs. A less streamlined or sensible workflow can also harm environmental responsibility. For example, if many employees need to travel from one end of the site to the other on forklifts to do their job, that workflow probably isn't the most efficient.
Streamlining workflows is a big trend in warehouse design, and it isn't going anywhere. By seeing areas where processes can be optimised, any business can improve its internal operations and reduce its carbon footprint in the process. While overarching design elements play a massive role in whether a site is eco-friendly, looking at what goes on in the warehouse can also play a vital role.
With the increase in demand for ecommerce warehouse solutions, efficient inventory control and well designed facilities that are set up to handle and manage high volumes of order dispatches and returns processing are a must. These can significantly impact the operational efficiency of the warehouse as well as reducing stock loss and improving the customer experience.
HVAC And Roofing
HVAC has long been of the least eco-friendly must-haves in many warehouses. But as technology has evolved, so has how HVAC works or how it can be adapted without extensive green costs. Destratification fans are a popular choice for many modern warehouses, allowing for better airflow and reducing how much cooling is required. These fans distribute the hot air more efficiently, reducing overall HVAC usage in the process.
As for non-electrical design choices to reduce HVAC consumption? The walls and roofing of a warehouse design are the place to look. Great insulation can help keep the inside of a building cool or warm. High-quality roofing provides the extra efficiency needed to ensure HVACs aren't pushing the limits to keep temperature controlled. Grass roofing, like that used by the British Film Institute warehouse, is an increasingly popular option for both insulation and visual appeal.
Eco-Friendly Materials
Greener materials make for a greener warehouse. Whether it's carrying out a refurbishment on an existing warehouse, or building something from scratch; using materials that are great for the environment is an excellent way to ensure environmental responsibility. Recycled metals are a popular option for buildings in need of good temperature stabilisation. Sustainable options with wood, bamboo and similar materials are also now readily available.
From the choice of flooring to the walls and furniture used in office areas, opting for an eco-friendly alternative can be an effective way to make your building greener.
This is especially true when used alongside other environmentally conscious design choices. Insulation or installing a new solar panel system onto roofing reduces energy consumption. At the same time, eco-friendly materials provide additional value.
But it’s not just through the use of recycled materials where businesses can make a responsible choice. Opting for durable and high quality products for items such as furniture and interior equipment means that items will last longer and need to be replaced less often. Longer lasting products means that less need to be produced and less used items will be sent to landfill sites. Of course, investing in quality workplace furniture and equipment also means that it’s longer lifespan will result in less needing to be spent on replacements as well.
Smarter LED Lighting
Swapping out lighting systems for eco-friendly LEDs can be one of the most immediate ways to improve environmental responsibility. With a considerable reduction in energy usage, LEDs can also be brighter than old-school lighting. LED use means your solar or wind energy goes further. It also leads to warehouses seeing the benefit both in their energy bills and potentially also in staff efficiency.
Going one step further by installing motion sensors for LED lighting can improve design efficiency further. By removing the need for human intervention to switch off lights, you get a consistent reduction in use. Reducing your carbon footprint and ensuring you're meeting environmental standards. Lighting may be a simple change, but it's one that businesses can use to make a real, significant impact.
With large-scale companies making the switch to full LED systems for factories, distribution centres and retail stores, it makes sense for others to do the same. For a relatively small cost, LEDs provide excellent energy efficiency. If you want a way to go green quickly, LEDs are a great place to start.
Monitoring & Sensor Systems
Noticeable design changes and switch-outs are the more visible ways that a warehouse can improve eco-friendliness. But what goes on behind the scenes can also play a role. That's where monitoring and sensors come in. Implementing design changes for easy, smart tracking of energy usage can be invaluable for any warehouse. Especially for those looking to enhance its green policies.
Smart meters and autonomous monitoring systems are a growing trend in warehouse design. Providing an effective, hands-free way to report helps provide clarity on how green a warehouse is, providing detailed information and data that may not have been as easily accessible before. With that information readily available, making additional changes as required is far more straightforward. The results of those changes are far more apparent, too.
Solutions For All Aspects Of Warehouse Design
Warehouses have many different components and moving parts. So, transforming a warehouse from an energy sink into an eco-friendly, responsible design depends on a number of factors. Opting to do a full overhaul with new insulation, cladding, roofing, and solar energy could be an excellent place to start for some warehouses. A warehouse with a smaller budget may find starting small with LED lighting and smart monitoring is the best call.
For brand-new warehouses, the option to go full green from start to finish is far more accessible. The inclusion of sustainable building materials is stage one. A brand-new HVAC system and built-in solar for responsible warehouse design are entirely feasible. With advances in technology, it's more affordable than ever, too.
When developing a new facility, or initiating a major refurbishment project on an existing warehouse space, a wide range of environmentally responsible options are available that can help a business to reduce its carbon footprint and also make considerable savings in costs due to increased efficiency as well.
Whether it’s maximising the usable storage space within a premises with a bespoke high density pallet racking system, or installing renewable energy systems such as solar panels or wind turbines; each element in the design, layout and operation of a warehouse should be assessed for potential improvements in efficiency and opportunities to reduce the environmental impact identified.
Think Responsibly When Refurbishing Or Refitting A Warehouse
For the average warehouse, going green can bring positive change for customers, employees and business costs alike. Environmentally responsible warehouse design is here to stay. As the trend grows, it's only likely to become increasingly sophisticated, optimised, and widespread.
By getting ahead of the curve, businesses can ensure they're meeting their reduced carbon footprint responsibilities while also providing a better, greener environment to work in for their future employees in the process.
If you are refurbishing or refitting a warehouse, there are of course a wide range of factors and options to consider, and it is the perfect opportunity to develop your space into one that is not only as productive and efficient as possible, but one that is also responsibly designed as well.
Maximising The Efficiency Of Existing Premises
For many businesses requiring additional warehouse space, it is often necessary to make a choice between relocating to a new site, or updating an existing space to meet current and future needs.
In terms of environmental impact, as well as financial impact to the business, it is often the case that adapting or expanding an existing warehouse can be the most efficient solution.
The addition of mezzanine flooring levels, for example, can be used to significantly increase floor space within a warehouse or commercial building. This can be a good choice for businesses requiring additional space for storage, to accommodate additional staff or to house specialist machinery or equipment. Mezzanine floors can usually be installed quickly and with significantly less disruption to a business than would be the case when relocating. Furthermore, this reduces the need for the development of new warehousing and the associated environmental impact.
Another way that businesses can adapt existing spaces to changing needs is to reconfigure storage, racking and shelving systems. This can deliver increased storage capacity, mitigating the need to relocate, and can also enable businesses to accommodate different goods and items within their existing warehouse.
Updating and extending an existing premises can be undertaken as part of a wider project to improve the operation of the facility from an energy consumption perspective, or simply as a project to extract maximum efficiency from the warehouse as an alternative to a costly relocation exercise.
Avanta’s Efficient Workspace Solutions
With over 20 years experience creating tailored workspace solutions that help UK companies meet their current and future goals, Avanta are able to assist clients with any size of warehouse development project to deliver significant improvements in the performance of the space available.
From the latest in pallet racking and commercial storage solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of your business, to mezzanine flooring systems designed to increase and maximise the space available in a facility, our team can work with you to deliver a comprehensive range of interior solutions that enable your business to grow sustainably, efficiently and effectively.
If you are planning a commercial refurbishment project or require updates to a warehouse or other kind of workspace, contact Avanta to discuss your requirements and find out more about the range of options available.
Located in Leeds, and with over 20 years experience in helping businesses of all sizes create workspaces that meet current and future requirements, Avanta are ideally placed to deliver solutions for growing companies.
From full refit and refurbishment projects, to extending the usable space within existing facilities, to developing efficient and tailored storage and goods processing systems; Avanta offers a full turnkey service to help clients meet their individual objectives.If your business is looking to update a commercial workspace, get in touch with Avanta to discuss the range of options available.