28 businessnews.com.au | June 6, 2016

PROPERTY

GREEN: Scope Systems has utilised a combination of new technology and living features in its West Leederville office. Photos: Attila Csaszar

Scope’s office meme is clean ’n green

SCOPE Systems has taken envi-ronmental concerns to a new level in its West Leederville office.

Early last year, Scope Systems found it had outgrown its long-term Scarborough home and needed a new office to accom-modate its larger team.

Dan Wilkiedan.wilkie@businessnews.com.au

@dwilkie34

Founder and non-executive director Norman Pater said he identified an opportunity to address climate change through Scope System’s new premises, with the process of searching for a new office unearthing a clear intention to lighten the compa-ny’s carbon footprint.

“What we found when we started to talk about the compa-ny’s own footprint was that as a

tenant, there wasn’t that much we could do,” Mr Pater told Busi-ness News.

“We had closed windows, we had an air-conditioning system that was quite dated, we had a location that wasn’t really that great from a public transport point of view, and there was a third factor in that we had grown in times of the boom and had moved two divisions out of

our office. Those three factors together made us decide to build our own building that was as low impact as possible.”

Mr Pater said Scope Systems found an old warehouse in West Leederville and set about devel-oping his vision to have the city’s greenest office.

The office utilises the latest in energy efficient technology, including a 98-kilowatt solar

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A Perth-based software and technology firm has developed what it believes is the

city’s greenest office, both literally and figuratively.

array on the building’s roof and LED lighting with motion sen-sors, while 80 per cent of the office’s lighting comes from sunlight, thanks to a 70-metre skylight.

Scope Systems also installed three living walls within the office, while nearly every desk has some sort of plant on it.

Mr Pater said the greening of the office was done in the belief

29 | businessnews.com.au June 6, 2016

PROPERTY

With the plug-in cars and the solar

power on the roof and the reimbursement

and the end-of-trip facilities, it’s an

interesting model - Troy Morrison

Scope Systems managing director Troy Morrison said the company addressed the prob-lem of not having enough car bays for all of its workers by providing a quality end-of-trip facility to encourage cycling to work and also subsidising public transport costs.

“We charge staff that want to drive to work to park a fair value based on the area,” Mr Morrison told Business News.

“But if you want to catch the bus or the train, we will pay for that in full.

“We subsidise the cost of the train or the bus with the money we get from the car parks.

“The impact that’s had … 80 per cent of staff previously normally would have driven to work, now that’s down to about 20 per cent.

“So for a small business, it’s a big impact in the sheer volume of traffic on the road.”

For those employees who need a car for external meet-ings, Scope Systems has a fleet of four electric vehicles for them to use.

“Lots of people catch the train to work, there’s nothing new about that, but with the plug-in cars and the solar power on the roof and the reimbursement and the end-of-trip facilities, it’s an interesting model,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Pater said Scope Systems had also been working with apartment developer Psaros to help make their buildings more sustainable.

“Even though they build high rise, I wanted Psaros to really consider their buildings’ life cycle and their carbon foot-print,” he said.

“They have actually totally embraced the concept and

have adopted a 14-point plan on climate.

“Every apartment has access to solar power and has its own iPad power consumption system.

“The initial reaction of devel-opers is ‘well it’s going to cost more so it’s going to impact our return’.

“But in the overall scheme of things, the difference in costs are not material.”

Energy efficiency is also emerging as a strong selling point for the city’s biggest office landlord, Brookfield Prop-erty Partners, which recently achieved a five-star Green Star rating for Brookfield Place Tower 2.

Technology in place at the 34 ,000-square metre tower includes daylight harvesting, light zoning and control systems, grey water harvesting, smart lifts and a generation system that produces electricity, heat and cooling in a single process.

Brookfield’s head of devel-opment, Carl Schibrowski, said feedback from tenants was that the tower was an enjoyable and efficient place to work.

“We see the innovative sus-tainable features built into the design as contributing to the overall attractiveness of the building and the Brookfield Place precinct,” he said.

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Scope-Systems

20% SCOPE SYSTEMS STAFF THAT DRIVE TO WORK

that plants decrease stress while enhancing productivity.

A purging system recirculates the air in the building every night, with a large set of fans effectively allowing the office to ‘breathe’.

Outside the office, Scope Sys-tems addressed a requirement to spend on public art by incor-porating solar panels into three flower sculptures at the front of the building.

The flowers, developed in col-laboration with Europa Studio Australia and Kentin Engineer-ing, generate 1.8kW of power.

However, energy efficiency at the office wasn’t the only initi-ative Scope has run with, with the company also focusing on better ways to get employees to the office (and home again).

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