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"Healthy buildings focus on the needs of people! That's my starting pointl" C-G Petterson is director of building construction at Anders Nisses AB. He has worked hard to build truely , healthy buildings. And he has succeeded at Alviks Strand, where an old factory has been converted into modern offices and new buildings have been constructed. "How many illnesses have their roots in ordinary offices? An unusually large number," says C-G Petterson. "Absenteeism is probably comparable with rates at considerably tougher industrial workplaces." This scenario must be viewed against the priority that has been assigned to the working environment. Much has been done to eliminate the risks at industrial workplaces, but little has happened on the office side. About the only revolution carried out in the office up to the 1970s was the replacement of the fountain pen by the ballpoint. During the 1980s, however, offices have become jammed with electronic aids that have been purchased piece by piece and placed in the old office environment. "This has created extremely poor ergonomics and an inferior indoor climate. The heat generated by all these machines makes the air dryer; printers spew out particles of paper into the air, etc." C-G petterson and Anders Nisses wanted to achieve something for the future: They talked to visionaries around the world and were,told about the paperless office and even more electronic aids. They realized that . buildings needed to be adapted to suit this development. Two-three workstations "Today's office requires 2-3 workstations for each person. One for the new technology, one for modern office machines and one for thinking and planning. "You need three environments in a room in addition to the proximity required to converse with colleagues. A good social environment is extremely important. Meeting these criteria in a normal building using ordinary technology proved to be outrageously expensive. Anders Nisses' solution was to change the entire building." By utilizing new construction technology and a new building design, the criteria for a good office were met. These buildings have been given a wedge-shaped design in order to obtain maximum window space. Lots of sunlight "We wanted to have large windows that let in lots of sunlight," says C-G Petterson. "We've compensated the ensuing heat loss from this solution by insulating the remainder of the walls even better." Because Anders Nisses is the first to employ this type of innovative thinking, it was important to follow up, test and inspect to make sure that the buildings turned out as planned. Various studies of the indoor air

climate - air quality, noise level and light quality - have been conducted. "We've managed to surpass the values that are considered good today." Greater rate of air replacement Anders Nisses has opted for an Italian ventilation system, Hiross, that provides 15-20 times greater air replacement than the normal standard. A large filtration capacity and simple cleaning were important criteria in this choice. "We use recycled air that's been heavily diluted. The remaining air in the system is thoroughly filtered." Another advantage of this system is that ventilation is divided into smaller zones and thus serves smaller units. This makes it easy to report any ventilation malfunction. The repair personnel can then go directly to the office in question to rectify the problem. "This is the most practical way. Occupants suffering from poor ventilation can follow up their report directly, because they know when the repair personnel have been there. "With an ordinary system that serves a large office complex, it's impossible to exert any control over the ventilation in your own particular area. This system makes it possible to get feedback directly." Smoke disappeared An interesting test was conducted to see what effect a smoker would have on surrounding rooms. A machine that simulates heavy chain smoking was placed in an office. Incoming and outgoing air in neighboring rooms was monitored. "Naturally, the air in the room where the machine was was affected," says C-G Petterson. "But virtually no effect was registered in the neighboring rooms." Precise measurements The new building technology employed at Alviks Strand utilizes steel frames that have been precisely measured. Ceiling height varies no more than plus/minus 3 millimeters, which makes it easy to move interior walls to meet new requirements. Space has also been provided for the electric cables required in a modern office building where computers and other electronic aids are used. The air-handling system is thus able to keep pace with new configurations. "When offices were enlarged or reduced previously, ventilation ductwork usually ended up in the wrong place, which made the entire system useless." The joists, which are light and contain molded , sound-insulated layers,.have been constructed using very N cn 0 ~ ~ 4~- N `O v, a%

little water - practically dry-pressed. They are lighter than ordinary concrete elements and easy to adapt and adjust should something go wrong. Economic C-G Petterson and Anders Nisses did not decide to construct a healthy building for idealistic reasons. On the contrary, economic thinking has motivated this effort. "Content tenants stay longer. Every interruption in the occupancy of our premises results in disturbances and loss of rental income. We stand to make money by offering healthy buildings for rent," says C-G Petterson. It is also quite clear that tenants benefit from this as well. Everything seems to indicate that sick buildings cause a higher rate of worker absenteeism and a loss of productivity. "Energy conservation has been the subject of much discussion. But energy costs only run a few dollars per square meter and year. If poor ventilation causes sick buildings and the resulting higher rate of absenteeism and loss of productivity, what kind of costs are we talking about here? "I don't think too many people think along those lines," says C-G Petterson." How much has it cost Anders Nisses to construct healthy buildings? Are the rents at Alviks Strand excessive? • "No, not at all. Thanks to the shape of the building, we've eliminated unnecessary corridors and achieved a much more efficient utlilization of space. "In fact, I'd wager that we can offer the most inexpensive office space in Stockholm, seen in terms of cost per workstation. "What's more, the tenant receives a very good working environment. But surprisingly little interest has been shown in this aspect so far."